Crop rotations in the United States increasingly involve few crops dominated by corn frequently combined with soybeans. We assess factors tied to corn acreage intensification over the past two decades. Using state-level data of 11 U.S. Corn Belt states from 2000 to 2021, we applied a panel fixed effects instrumental variable modeling approach to investigate these linkages. Findings suggest Conservation Reserve Program acreage releases, crop prices, ethanol demand, farm size, productivity, and genetically modified varieties positively impact corn acreage intensity. These results imply crop planting decisions are complex and are not uniquely attributed to biofuel considerations.

The catalytic activity of sepiolite from Amboseli, Tanzania, for the dehydration and dehydrogenation of ethanol at 150°–300°C has been studied using a flow reactor. Both reactions occur, but the catalyst activity decreases with use. The products include water, carbon dioxide, ethene, ethanal (acetaldehyde), diethyl ether, but-1,3-diene, but-2-enal (crotonaldehyde), and an unidentified aromatic compound. The proportions change with temperature, the dehydrogenation reaction being favored at the higher temperatures. The BET surface areas of the sepiolite are 316 m2/g (nitrogen adsorption at — 197°C) and 212 m2/g (ethanol vapor adsorption at 25°C, assuming a molecular cross-sectional area of 24.6 Å2), indicating a possible greater penetration of pores and channels by nitrogen compared with ethanol vapor under these conditions. The pore-size distribution reveals that approximately 55% of the surface area measured by nitrogen adsorption is contributed by micropores.

Desorption processes of low-molecular-weight compounds from the surface of smectites into the gas phase determine a number of processes, e.g. those involved in drug delivery and the release of herbicides. The desorption has not been investigated thoroughly and is not well understood. The present study was undertaken in order to understand better the factors influencing these desorption mechanisms. Starting with a very pure standard (Na+-rich) montmorillonite (Kunipia-F), which was exchanged against cations with different hydration properties (Ca2+, Li+, phenyltrimethylammonium, hexyltrimethyl-ammonium), the experiments explored the rate of desorption of volatiles with different chemical functionalities (water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and toluene). The desorption was monitored by thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry under isothermal conditions, and by ramping the temperature at a constant rate. The experiments were compared with numerical calculations based on finite-element methods and with analytical models. These data point to a two-step mechanism where the desorption follows the curve of the equilibrium desorption isotherms of those molecules on the montmorillonite. The bulk-like volatiles (i.e. volatiles with release kinetics close to that of the bulk liquids) were desorbed in a first step. With a decrease in the degree of coverage of the volatile on the montmorillonite, the desorption was increasingly dominated by the strength of interaction between the volatile and the interlayer cations of the montmorillonite.

Waste kaolinite from a fertilizer industry was intercalated with n-methylformamide (NMF) under ambient conditions. The complex was washed, characterized and then reacted with benzamide (dissolved in ethanol) under similar conditions. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential thermal analysis (DTA), clear evidence of benzamide intercalation was observed after a reaction time of 48 h. The FTIR and DTA analysis also confirmed that the ethanol was not involved in the intercalation and that both NMF and benzamide are present in the interlayer region.

In this research communication we propose a new approach by portable digital microscopy with a 200× objective to improve the visualization of microparticles of pasteurized milk submitted to the alcohol test. Not only did the method reduce the subjectivity of the readings, but also generated high resolution images of the microparticles, which allows the creation of a specific image pattern for each type of final product. In comparison to a control pasteurized milk treatment, the results confirmed the effect and the specificity of added salts (sodium citrate, disodium phosphate or their combination) on the stability of the milk to the alcohol test. Finally, the mixture of stabilizing salts of citrate/phosphate provided the highest degree of stability to pasteurized milk among the treatments studied.

Nematode spicules vary in shape and size even between closely related species and, therefore, constitute key characters in nematode taxonomy for distinguishing between species. Spicules are seldom measured on fresh specimens, but rather at some time after extraction from culled hosts and after a period of preservation of the worms in chemical fixatives or by freezing. We carried out two experiments to assess the effects of freezing in Hanks’ balanced salt solution, 70% or 80% ethanol and 10% formalin (both of the latter at room temperature and after storage at −80°C) on spicule length of Heligmosomoides bakeri at two time intervals after extraction from mice (Experiment 1, one and four weeks; Experiment 2, one and four months). In Experiment 1, no significant differences were detected, although there was some variation between treatments and over time. In Experiment 2, spicule length varied significantly between treatments and over time, the greatest shrinkage being in 80% ethanol and the least in 10% formalin. However, overall variation in spicule length was very limited, accounting for no more than 5.03% change in length over time and 4.95% between treatments at any of the periods of assessment. Therefore, while whole nematodes can shrivel and shrink in preservatives, making many measurements unreliable, our data indicated that spicule lengths are very little changed by preservation techniques over time, and so spicule length remains as a reliable taxonomic character.

Maternal nutrition status plays an important role in the development of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), but its direct evidence is lacking. This study compared a standard chow with a semi-purified energy-dense (E-dense) diet on birth and metabolic outcomes in rats after ethanol (EtOH) consumption during pregnancy. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats were randomised into four groups: chow (n 6), chow + EtOH (20 %, v/v) (n 7), E-dense (n 6) and E-dense + EtOH (n 8). Birth outcomes including litter size, body and organ weights were collected. Metabolic parameters were measured in dams and pups at postnatal day (PD) 7. Maternal EtOH consumption decreased body weights (P < 0·0001) and litter sizes (P < 0·05) in chow-fed dams. At PD7, pups born to dams fed the E-dense diet had higher body (P < 0·002) and liver weights (P < 0·0001). These pups also had higher plasma total cholesterol (P < 0·0001), TAG (P < 0·003) and alanine aminotransferase (P < 0·03) compared with those from chow-fed dams. Dams fed the E-dense diet had higher plasma total (P < 0·0001) and HDL-cholesterol (P < 0·0001) and lower glucose (P < 0·0001). EtOH increased total cholesterol (P < 0·03) and glucose (P < 0·05) only in dams fed the E-dense diet. Maternal exposure to the E-dense diet attenuated prenatal EtOH-induced weight loss and produced different metabolic outcomes in both dams and pups. While the long-lasting effects of these outcomes are unknown, this study highlights the importance of maternal diet quality for maternal health and infant growth and suggests that maternal nutrition intervention may be a potential target for alleviating FASD.

The pandemic due to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a serious global public health issue. Since the start of the outbreak, the importance of hand-hygiene and respiratory protection to prevent the spread of the virus has been the prime focus for infection control. Health regulatory organisations have produced guidelines for the formulation of hand sanitisers to the manufacturing industries. This review summarises the studies on alcohol-based hand sanitisers and their disinfectant activity against SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses. The literature shows that the type and concentration of alcohol, formulation and nature of product, presence of excipients, applied volume, contact time and viral contamination load are critical factors that determine the effectiveness of hand sanitisers.

A comparison between electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion and reforestation is presented. By comparing thermodynamic and forestry data, recommendations for technology development can be made.

With the global average temperature steadily increasing due to anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, there has been increasing interest worldwide in new technologies for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). This coincides with the decrease in cost of deployment of intermittent renewable electricity sources, specifically solar energy, necessitating development of new methods for energy storage. Carbon dioxide conversion technologies driven by photovoltaics aim to address both these needs. To adequately contribute to greenhouse gas reduction, the carbon dioxide conversion technology deployed should have a substantially higher rate of carbon dioxide removal than planting an equivalent-sized forest. Using consistent methodologies, we analyze the effectiveness of model photovoltaic-driven carbon dioxide conversion technologies that produce liquid alcohols as compared to planting an equivalent forest. This analysis serves to establish an energy use boundary for carbon dioxide conversion technology, in order to be a viable alternative as a net carbon negative technology.

In this work, flavonoids in Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. were extracted by ultrasound-assisted methodology and determined by ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometry. After that, extraction conditions were optimized by the single fact investigation, the central composite design, and response surface methodology (RSM) in turn. The results showed the optimal values of ethanol concentration, solid–liquid ratio, extraction temperature, extraction time, ultrasonic power, and number of extraction times were 60%, 1:20 (g/mL), 45 °C, 34 min; 80 W, and 5, respectively. The extraction ratio of flavonoids could be as high as 94.50%. The influence order of each factor was ultrasonic power > extraction time > extraction temperature > ethanol concentration. The results also showed that the experimental value was close to the predicted value (94.49%) of the established model by RSM, which proved that the established model was reasonable. The thermodynamic results showed that the extraction process was endothermic and could proceed spontaneously.

This article reviews the state of the art in the gas-phase synthesis of graphene in atmospheric plasmas. The substrate-free process involves the delivery of a carbon-containing precursor into a microwave-generated Ar plasma. Factors that influence the synthesis of graphene include precursor composition, reactor design, and the flow rates of gases. These factors have elucidated the mechanisms of graphene formation in atmospheric plasmas. Gas phase–synthesized graphene is pure and highly ordered and possesses unique features that make the material useful in applications such as catalysis, energy storage, lubrication, and the transmission electron microscopy imaging of nanomaterials. However, the main challenge in the synthesis process is the low rate of graphene production. This article anticipates future research aimed at overcoming this challenge and compares the atmospheric plasma method with contemporary graphene production techniques.

Colloidal gold-palladium (Au-Pd) bimetallic nanoparticles were used as catalysts to study the ethanol (EtOH) photo-oxidation cycle, with an emphasis towards driving carbon-carbon (C-C) bond cleavage at low temperatures. Au-Pd bimetallic alloy and core-shell nanoparticles were prepared to synergistically couple a plasmonic absorber (Au) with a catalytic metal (Pd) with composite optical and catalytic properties tailored towards promoting photocatalytic oxidation. Catalysts utilizing metals that exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) can be harnessed for light-driven enhancement for small molecule oxidation via augmented photocarrier generation/separation and photothermal conversion. The coupling of Au to Pd in an alloy or core-shell nanostructure maintains SPR-induced charge separation, mitigates the poisoning effects on Pd, and allows for improved EtOH oxidation. The Au-Pd nanoparticles were coupled to semiconducting titanium dioxide photocatalysts to probe their effects on plasmonically-assisted photocatalytic oxidation of EtOH. Complete oxidation of EtOH to CO2 under solar simulated-light irradiation was confirmed by monitoring the yield of gaseous products. Bimetallics provide a pathway for driving desired photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical reactions with superior catalytic activity and selectivity.

The atmospheric pressure plasma sources with a coaxial geometry were used for generation of the radio frequency, microwave and pulsed dc plasmas inside water and aqueous solutions. Pulsed dc plasma generated in ethanol-water mixtures leads to production of the hydrogen-rich synthesis gas with hydrogen content up to 65 %. The effect of various plasma generation regimes on the performance of plasma, on the hydrogen production efficiency and on the hydrogen-rich synthesis gas production was examined. A role of the composition of the ethanol-water mixture was investigated.

This study analyses the value of a switching option in a flexible biorefinery plant that produces ethanol and sugar juice in a single plant using energy beets. A real-options approach is used to compute threshold prices and optimal switching decision rules for switching between sugar and ethanol production modes. The analysis shows that it is economically optimal to keep producing ethanol then switching to sugar juice, given the stochastic price parameters of the two products.

Given the lack of satisfying treatments for consolidating marble affected by thermally induced grain detachment (the so-called "sugaring"), the use of aqueous solutions of diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DAP) has recently been proposed. The idea is to form a new binding mineral (hydroxyapatite, HAP) as the reaction product between the DAP solution and the calcitic substrate. In this study, we investigated the effects of adding small quantities of ethanol (EtOH) to the DAP solution, with the aim of favoring HAP formation. The results of the study indicate that, when a 0.1 M DAP and 0.1 mM CaCl2 solution in 10 vol% EtOH is used, complete coverage of marble surface with a crack-free coating with reduced porosity is achieved (whereas no coating is formed without EtOH addition). This is thought to be a consequence of the weakening of hydration shells of phosphate ions in the DAP solution, thanks to the presence of ethanol molecules. When used to restore mechanical properties of weathered marble, the treatment with 10 vol% EtOH was found to significantly improve the dynamic elastic modulus after a single application and to completely restore it after a second application.