Volume 40, Issue 8

In the spotlight of successful breakthrough of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, lipid nanoparticles are becoming an important vehicle to deliver a variety of therapeutics. The encapsulation of mRNA using lipids is a self-organizing process that necessitates fast mixing to achieve uniform supersaturation. This is achieved in a confined impinging jet reactor (CIJR) where two input jets collide and fast mix in the mixing chamber. While CIJR is not a new mixing technology, it stands out for its capability to achieve mixing times below a millisecond. This study presents a critical review of major studies concerning CIJRs, starting with the CIJRs’ structures and flow characterization, through experimental and numerical studies, and closing with successful applications in a wide range of chemical/pharmaceutical processes. The detailed mixing principles, scaling-up, and mechanisms of making nanoparticles are discussed focusing mainly on the hydrodynamic aspect. The objective of the review is to supply essential information for the optimized design and operation of CIJRs, catering to both industry and academia.

With the shortage of international oil resources and rising oil prices, the acetylene chemical industry has been revitalized. As an important basic raw material in the petrochemical industry, it can produce many chemical products and extend the acetylene production chain. Firstly, the production, conversion, and utilization of acetylene are outlined. Subsequently, this paper focuses on reviewing the core production process routes and the corresponding research progress in the acetylene production chain and points out the development trends of the domestic acetylene downstream conversion. Then, considering that acetylene is produced by calcium carbide technology in Ningdong and the extended downstream polyvinyl chloride industry chain is a large energy consumer and the focus of environmental safety monitoring, the entire process from coal-based calcium carbide acetylene production to polyvinyl chloride synthesis is elaborated from the perspective of process systems engineering. The resource utilization status and bottlenecks in the process are declared, and the direction of process improvement and optimization is proposed. Finally, the entire acetylene production chain is briefly analyzed and reviewed.

Thermal runaway is a frequent source of process safety issues, and the uncontrolled release of chemical energy puts reactors at risk. The design of the exothermic reactor faces challenges due to the selective sensitivity of the product to high temperatures and the need to increase the lifetime of the catalyst, optimize the product distribution, and improve the thermodynamic properties. Phase change material (PCM) encapsulation is recommended to reduce leakage, phase separation, and volume change problems. This work introduces encapsulated PCMs to improve reactor temperature control and minimize thermal runaway in exothermic processes. The warning temperature value setting effectively inhibits fugitive exothermic reactions and enhances heat transfer. When a sufficient quantity of encapsulated PCMs is input, the response speed will automatically accelerate. Spontaneous acceleration of the reaction rate due to thermal runaway of the reaction may be completely avoided by adding a sufficient amount of encapsulated PCM. Microencapsulation is used to control volume changes and inhibit thermal reactions. Preventive strategies include cooling, depressurization, safety release, emergency resources, and reaction containment. Encapsulated PCMs improve mechanical and thermal properties, surface-to-volume ratio, heat transfer surface, thermal capacity, and efficiency.

Despite concerns regarding safety, economics, and the environment, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are considerably utilized on account of their low energy density and capacity. Li–sulfur (Li–S) batteries have become a promising substitute for LIBs. Here, we first compared both systems in their cons and pros and analyzed the leading countries and companies in Li–S research are assessed through the utilization of an academic database. The scope of our research includes performance-enhancing design elements, cathode components, and binder materials. Synthetic and natural binders are trialed in an effort to enhance Li–S performance. Understanding the fundamental mechanisms enables the development of durable cathodes and binders. To overcome obstacles such as polysulfide adsorption, shuttle effect, and ion transport limitations, conducting polymers, metal/metal oxides, carbon-based compounds, MOFs, and Mxenes are investigated as potential cathode materials. In addition to pore characteristics and active polar sites, the efficacy of a battery is influenced by the anode surface geometry and heteroatom doping. Our review indicates that binders and sulfur/host composites must be meticulously chosen for Li–S battery cathode materials. This research advances energy storage technology by establishing the foundation for economically viable lithium–sulfur batteries with superior performance.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have garnered significant attention in biomedical applications. Due to their large surface area and tunable properties, MNPs are used in microfluidic systems, which allow for the manipulation and control of fluids at micro- or nanoscale. Using microfluidic systems allows for a faster, less expensive, and more efficient approach to applications like bioanalysis. MNPs in microfluidics can precisely identify and detect bioanalytes on a single chip by controlling analytes in conjunction with magnetic particles (MPs) and separating various particles for analytical functions at the micro- and nanoscales. Numerous uses for these instruments, including cell-based research, proteomics, and diagnostics, have been reported. The successful reduction in the size of analytical assays and the creation of compact LOC platforms have been made possible with the assistance of microfluidics. Microfluidics is a highly effective method for manipulating fluids as a continuous flow or discrete droplets. Since the implementation of the LOC technology, various microfluidic methods have been developed to improve the efficiency and precision of sorting, separating, or isolating cells or microparticles from their original samples. These techniques aim to surpass traditional laboratory procedures. This review focuses on the recent progress in utilizing microfluidic systems that incorporate MNPs for biological applications.

The application of hollow fiber membranes is one of the excellent processes to treat oily wastewater and wetland water. Treating oily wastewater and wetland water is a significant challenge and reported expensive. These wastes generally come from due the expansion of massive industries and human activities these days. This review discusses the critical ways of membrane hollow fiber application in treating oily wastewater as well as wetland water. It is also reported in literature that there is mostly organic contaminant accommodated in oily wastewater and wetland water. Due to that, the application of hollow fiber is the best way as a removal organic contaminant in oily wastewater as well as wetland water. Apart from that, the conventional and advanced methods are also well explained within this review followed by detail treatments, application, and performance of this hollow fiber membrane application. To achieve the best completed outcome of pollutants removal, several applications relate to other processes before contacting to hollow fiber membranes. The integration between conventional and advanced membrane technology in oily wastewater and wetland treatment is also well explained. The important factors in the fabrication and application of hollow fiber membrane depend on membrane materials and filtration processes. It means that the selection between membrane materials and final processes to choose are depending on the urgency, source of pollutants, and intended use.