A research team systematically compared four commonly used air-sampling technologies to determine which methods most effectively collect submicron particles that mimic airborne bacteria and viruses.

The team led by Professors Wang Chengyu and Yang Haiyue from Northeast Forestry University proposed a strategy for constructing highly efficient seawater desalination aerogels using polydopamine bridging modification.  Using polydopamine as the "bridge", photothermal performance is enhanced by modifying the MXene nanoparticles, and a covalent cross-linked structure is formed with cellulose to improve the stability of the structure.

A research team reveals that the common antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX) can fundamentally reshape nitrogen cycling in estuarine sediments.

Geothermal energy is clean and renewable, derived from the heat stored within accessible depths of the Earth’s crust. The adoption of a single-well system for medium-deep and deep geothermal energy extraction has attracted significant interest from the scientific and industrial communities because it effectively circumvents issues such as downhole inter-well connections and induced seismicity. However, the low heat transfer capacity in geothermal formations limits the heat extraction performance of single-well systems and hinders their commercial deployment. This review covers various enhancement concepts for optimizing the heat transfer within single-well systems, emphasizing critical parameters such as heat transfer area, heat transfer coefficient, and temperature difference. Additionally, it presents the thermo-economic evaluation of different configurations of single-well borehole heat exchangers and superlong gravity heat pipes (SLGHPs). The SLHGP, utilizing phase-change heat transfer, is recognized as a highly effective and continuously productive technology, capable of extracting over 1 MW of heat. Its pumpless operation and ease of installation in abandoned wells make it cost-effective, offering a promising economic advantage over traditional geothermal systems. It also highlights the challenges and potential research opportunities that can help identify gaps in research to enhance the performance of single-well geothermal systems.

A study published in Frontiers in Energy by researchers from Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen University, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, and Nanyang Technological University addresses these challenges. They developed a multi-physical model to analyze and optimize the operation of large-area SOFCs.

In a study published in Frontiers in Energy, Frederik Wiesmann and collaborators from TU Wien, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg introduced a refined oxidation mechanism for OME_1-6. The new SJTU mechanism modifies key reaction rates in the Niu mechanism based on sensitivity analysis and validation against jet-stirred reactor (JSR) experiments and shock tube IDT data from the literature. This mechanism improves the prediction of intermediate species and ignition behavior while maintaining compatibility with CFD frameworks.

A research team found that plant-derived compounds significantly lowered the abundance of pathogenic bacteria, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) , virulence factors, and mobile genetic elements in manure-amended soils through controlled soil and laboratory experiments.