DeCarbon最新文献

{"title":"Biochar production with concomitant biopolymer accumulation of microalgae-based wastewater treatment for carbon neutrality","authors":"Agila Elango ,&nbsp;Mauli Goel ,&nbsp;Gopalakrishnan Kumar ,&nbsp;Chandramughi V P ,&nbsp;Vishnu Priya V ,&nbsp;Chawalit Ngamcharussrivichai ,&nbsp;Flora G ,&nbsp;Veeramuthu Ashokkumar","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100162","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100162","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study demonstrates the urgent need for sustainable solutions to reduce the environmental pollution caused by plastic waste and domestic wastewater discharge. To address this challenge, the microalga <em>Spirulina</em> has been shown as an effective resource for sustainable bioproduct production while simultaneously enabling the valorization of domestic wastewater (DWW). The algae was cultivated for a period of 16-days in DWW, restuls revealed that the biomass productivity increased steadily reaching a maximum of 0.83 g L⁻¹ on day 12. Meanwhile, the methanol-water solvent combination supported for the highest phycocyanin extraction of about 22.5 mg L⁻¹ from the <em>Spirulina</em> biomass. The residual algal biomass further utilized for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and biochar. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis of <em>Spirulina</em>-derived PHA revealed characteristic O–H and C–H stretching bands at 3270.1 and 2979.2 cm⁻¹, respectively. The band at 1626 cm⁻¹ attributed to C=O stretching, though partial purification. The presence of CH₃ bending at 1387 cm⁻¹ and strong ester C–O–C vibration in the 1241.6 cm⁻¹ region confirms the presence of polymer, indicating functional groups of PHA. The PHA-bioplastic film shows a uniform thickness of 0.12 ± 1 mm, water absorption 16%, water solubility 33.27% and balanced chemical resistance, indicating the biodegradability of the material. In addition, torrefaction of the residual biomass produces biochar yield of 31%, demonstrating effective biomass valorization. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the torrefied biochar contained lower volatile matter, higher fixed carbon content and improved thermal stability. This integrated approach shows the potential of DWW as an efficient medium for sustainable <em>Spirulina</em> cultivation, enabling pigment recovery and valorization of residual biomass into bioplastic and biochar.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100162"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148167333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization of gas distribution structure for a kW-class cross-flow SOFC stack based on 3D multiphysics simulation","authors":"Zichao Wang ,&nbsp;Pengxiang Song ,&nbsp;Yu Xing ,&nbsp;Wendong Wang ,&nbsp;Xinyuan Cao ,&nbsp;Chen Yang ,&nbsp;Zhenzhong Li","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100166","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100166","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficient and stable operation of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stacks heavily depends on the spatial uniformity of the internal electrochemical and thermal fields. The gas distribution structure of an SOFC stack governs the flow and distribution of fuel and air within the stack, thereby influencing the temperature, species distribution, and overall power output of each individual cell. This study uses multi-physics coupled simulations to investigate the flow field, thermal gradient, species distribution, and power output of an SOFC stack under various gas distribution designs. To improve the flow uniformity of the conventional central gas distribution structure, this study proposes three approaches: opposite corner end gas distribution (OCD), expanded gas distribution chamber for direct distribution (ECD), and a diverging main gas channel design, which are systematically evaluated and compared. The computational results show that the OCD and ECD schemes improve the anode-side flow uniformity by 4.34% and 6.39%, respectively, while increasing the stack output power and slightly reducing the maximum temperature gradient. These findings validate the key role of adjusting the geometric configuration of the gas distribution chamber in performance enhancement. Furthermore, the diverging main gas channel design (with an optimal diverging angle of 20°) maintains a reasonable flow velocity at the inlet section and a relatively high static pressure in the mid-downstream region, thereby increasing the anode-side flow uniformity by 4.71%, significantly reducing the inlet flow difference among layers, and also slightly decreasing the maximum temperature gradient. The above results provide a strong design basis and technical support for the development of high-efficiency, long-life SOFC stacks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148168019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimization of swirl number on the pollutants emitted from the combustion of biodiesel-diesel fuel mixtures in a furnace combustion chamber by artificial bees colony algorithm","authors":"Alireza Shirneshan","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2025.100146","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2025.100146","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Industrial furnaces that use liquid fuels like diesel and biodiesel blends encounter problems with controlling pollutant emissions and keeping combustion efficient. The impact of swirl number on liquid-fuel combustion in these systems is not as well understood as it is for gaseous fuels. This study examines the effects of swirl number and biodiesel percentage on combustion performance and emissions in a cylindrical furnace. It uses a method that combines computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) optimization. A three-dimensional CFD model with the standard k–ε turbulence model and detailed NOx formation mechanisms was tested against existing experimental data. Simulations were done for different swirl numbers and biodiesel blend ratios. The results were analyzed using the ABC algorithm to determine the optimal operating conditions. The findings indicate that increasing swirl enhances fuel–air mixing and significantly lowers CO concentrations along the furnace axis, with reductions over 60 ​% near the burner. The formation of NOx is a more complex process. While higher swirl reduces early-stage NOx generation, it can increase late-stage formation near the walls due to better radial transport. The optimization process determined that a swirl number of 2.7 and a biodiesel content of 80 ​% provided the optimal balance between low CO emissions and acceptable NOx levels. These results offer valuable guidance for designing and operating liquid-fuel industrial furnaces that meet stringent emission standards while maintaining optimal efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100146"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145750085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tuning Cu-ZnO interfaces on LDH-derived CuZnAl catalyst with Mn doping for efficient CO2 hydrogenation to methanol","authors":"Kang Zhang ,&nbsp;Chenglong Hou ,&nbsp;Hongkun Lv ,&nbsp;Zhefeng Li ,&nbsp;Jianzhong Liu ,&nbsp;Jun Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Rational modulation of the Cu-ZnO interfaces by modifying Layered Double Hydrotalcite (LDH) with additives the provides a promising way for enhanced methanol production from CO₂, while the extent to which the promoters contribute to the topological transformation process of LDH and the reaction pathway remains unexplored. Herein, a LDH-derived CuZnAl catalyst with manganese (Mn) promoter modification is designed for efficient CO₂-to-methanol production. Compared with amorphous catalysts, at 260 °C and 5 MPa, the as-optimized CuZnAlMn-LDO exhibits a CO₂ conversion of 23.03% with a STY_MeOH of 584.15 g_MeOH·kg_cat⁻¹·h⁻¹. Characterizations conform that the introduction of Mn content directly involves in the formation of LDH and boost the thermal stability of the LDH morphology, resulting in the reservation of LDH nanosheet structure with lower thickness and higher surface area after calcination. These modifications effectively trigger stronger electron transfer and boost the formation of Cu-ZnO interfaces for enhanced CO₂ adsorption. Moreover, smaller and more dispersed Cu species were also observed on CuZnAlMn-LDO, effectively facilitating H₂ dissociation. In-situ tests further demonstrate that the formation of formate and its further hydrogenation are accelerated. This work highlights that tuning the topological transformation of LDH structure could effectively regulate metal-support interaction to enrich Cu-ZnO interfaces for enhanced performances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100152"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147599782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interfacial reactions in ionic thermoelectrics: Unlocking charge transfer vs. triggering poisoning traps","authors":"Xinzhe Li ,&nbsp;Pengchi Zhang ,&nbsp;Mingyu Song ,&nbsp;Liyuan Jiang ,&nbsp;Zhaoyu Chen ,&nbsp;Zhe Li ,&nbsp;Wei Fang ,&nbsp;Qian Huang ,&nbsp;Yifan Wang ,&nbsp;Lijun Hu ,&nbsp;Qiujian Le ,&nbsp;Jing Li ,&nbsp;Yongli Zhou ,&nbsp;Jianyong Ouyang ,&nbsp;Kuan Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ionic thermoelectrics (i-TEs) hold great promise for low-grade heat harvesting, yet their practical application is hindered by an incomplete understanding of the electrode/electrolyte interface — often tacitly assumed to be an inert current collector. Herein, we challenge this assumption by systematically dissecting the multifaceted role of interfacial reactions across three progressively interconnected levels. First, using a decisive Cu versus carbon cloth electrode comparison paired with reactive (Cl⁻-based) versus inert (F⁻-based) electrolytes, we demonstrate that a mild interfacial reaction is not a parasitic side effect but the essential key that unlocks charge transfer, without which no measurable output emerges. Second, we uncover the dark side of this key: for weakly hydrated ions like K⁺, the same interfacial reactivity, when coupled with strong electrostatic locking and facile dehydration, triggers catastrophic precipitation crystallization — a “poisoning trap” that physically blocks ion transport and extinguishes output. Third, exploiting imidazolium ionic liquids with tunable alkyl chains (DMIM⁺ to BMIM⁺), we reveal a fundamental molecular trade-off: longer chains enhance interfacial ordering and maximize energy density (550 J m⁻²) but, by creating hydrophobic microdomains and covering hydrophilic sites, they compromise water retention (89.2% loss) and shorten operational lifetime; shorter chains invert this balance, prioritizing stability over peak output. Collectively, these findings establish a unified model that reconciles the dual role of the interface, as both indispensable initiator and potential poison, and provides a molecular blueprint for designing i-TE materials where performance and longevity can be rationally balanced for targeted applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100149"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147537819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Scalable textiles for synergistic thermoregulation and moisture management","authors":"Shuaihua Yuan ,&nbsp;Yang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100148","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100148","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Conventional layered clothing textiles usually rely on layering multiple fabrics in cold and humid environments to enhance act warmth, nevertheless sacrificing breathability and comfort. Recently, scalable interlocking double-layer textiles were innovatively fabricated via in-situ closed-cell structure engineering. The spatial coupling of closed-pore insulation units and gradient vapor transmission pathways can synergistically enhance thermoregulation and moisture management in extremely cold working conditions. This Personal Thermal Management technology not only improves individual comfort but also holds promise for reducing building energy consumption and carbon emissions by lowering reliance on indoor systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100148"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gradient electrospun carbon nanomembranes with tailored interface convection: A platform for multiphysics applications","authors":"Yu Tian ,&nbsp;Gangwen Fu ,&nbsp;Junyuan He ,&nbsp;Mengyang Li ,&nbsp;Leming Zhang ,&nbsp;Geyuan Zhao ,&nbsp;Yafeng Xie ,&nbsp;Yu Lei ,&nbsp;Xi Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The construction and regulation of three-phase interfaces dominate interfacial mass and heat transfer, and regulating interfacial convection at structurally gradient interfaces remains a critical unsolved scientific challenge. Herein, multi-walled carbon nanotube-doped polyacrylonitrile-based carbon nanomembranes with gradient pore size and fiber diameter were prepared via gradient electrospinning. Combined with COMSOL Multiphysics simulations and experimental characterizations, we investigated the gas-liquid two-phase transport mechanism of the gradient structure, which realized synergistic regulation of gas-liquid transport, ion migration and heat transfer at the three-phase interface via capillary pressure gradient. The gradient membrane electrode showed a low overpotential of 347 mV at 30 mA cm⁻² for oxygen evolution, with superior cycling stability. For seawater desalination, it achieved a stable evaporation rate of 0.166 g/(cm²·h) and a solar evaporation efficiency of 76.8% under 1000 W simulated sunlight via optimized water transport and reduced heat loss. This work offers a new structural design strategy for multifunctional membrane materials, deepens the understanding of mass and heat transfer at gradient three-phase interfaces, and lays a theoretical and experimental foundation for energy conversion and environmental treatment devices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100150"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147537817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic solar spectrum utilization converts seawater into green hydrogen","authors":"Fuxiang Li ,&nbsp;Haosheng Lin ,&nbsp;Zengguang Sui ,&nbsp;Wei Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100151","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100151","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Green hydrogen is crucial for decarbonization, yet its production faces two major challenges: heavy reliance on scarce freshwater and declining photovoltaic efficiency with rising temperatures. To address these, Wang et al. proposed an integrated hybrid solar distillation–water electrolysis (HSD-WE) device (published in Energy &amp; Environmental Science). It achieves hydrogen production from seawater and a high 12.6% solar-to-hydrogen efficiency via full-spectrum utilization. This work highlights these advances and discusses necessary optimizations in system architecture and scalability for future sustainable hydrogen systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100151"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147537820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Property-control of self-assembled monolayer by employing hydroscopic polyethylene glycol for efficient and stable p-i-n perovskite solar cells","authors":"Jeewon Park ,&nbsp;Faiza Shoukat ,&nbsp;Wonjun Kim ,&nbsp;Byongkyu Lee ,&nbsp;Changduk Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100147","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2026.100147","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent great achievements of p-i-n perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been mainly fueled by the development and advancement of carbazole-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) used as the hole-transport layers (HTLs). Driven by the success of polar, hydroscopic polyethylene glycol (PEG) application in the perovskite and buffer layers, herein we have assessed how the incorporation of PEG as ADDITIVE and BILAYER influences the SAM HTL in PSCs. When PEG is used as ADDITIVE, the photovoltaic performance of PSCs is reduced. While, PSCs processed by BILAYER exhibit high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 24.75 % (lab-scale area: 0.039 cm²) and 20.47 % (large area: 1 cm²), attributed to the beneficial features such as better film/morphology formation and minimizing interfacial recombination losses/defect densities. Furthermore, we also demonstrate outstanding 73 % (after 1000 h, 25 °C, in ambient air) and 74 % (after 500 h, 85 °C, in inert) PCE retentions for the unencapsulated devices, accounting for stronger interaction between the PEG and perovskite layers. Our study paves a facile way of the polymeric materials’ role played in the SAMs for improving the PCE and stability of PSCs through their surface modification.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100147"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146173721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Toward carbon-zero internet of things: Soil-powered renewable energy for perpetual sensing and communication","authors":"Yaozi Zheng ,&nbsp;Yawei Wang ,&nbsp;Jingyi Liu ,&nbsp;Junlei Wang ,&nbsp;Guobiao Hu","doi":"10.1016/j.decarb.2025.100137","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.decarb.2025.100137","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The widespread deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has led to an increasing demand for sustainable and cost-effective power resources. Soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) have emerged as a promising solution, offering great biocompatibility and operational viability. This study presents a thorough investigation of the critical design parameters that influence the performance of SMFCs, with a particular focus on electrode material selection and electrode spatial configurations. Six common metallic materials, including brass, copper, stainless steel, aluminum alloy, iron, and zinc, are evaluated for their effectiveness as electrode materials, with zinc-stainless steel being found to be the optimal combination based on voltage and current outputs. The spatial arrangement of the electrodes is also shown to impact performance, with the series connection mode providing higher voltage output and larger internal resistance, while the parallel mode results in higher power output and lower internal resistance. To showcase the practical potential of SMFCs, a nine-cell series array was utilized to power a customized low-power IoT node, enabling the successful transmission of temperature data to the cloud without the need for a traditional battery. This work highlights the viability of SMFCs as a renewable, battery-free solution for IoT devices, with potential applications in agriculture, environmental monitoring, and smart campuses.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100356,"journal":{"name":"DeCarbon","volume":"10 ","pages":"Article 100137"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623746","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}