Performance and mechanism of CO2 absorption during the simultaneous removal of SO2 and NOx by wet scrubbing process

The co-removal of CO2 while removing SO2 and NOx from industrial flue gas has great potential of carbon emission reduction but related research is lacking. In this study, a wet scrubbing process with various urea solutions for desulfurization and denitrification was explored for the possibility of CO2 absorption. The results showed that the urea-additive solutions were efficient for NOx and SO2 abatement, but delivered < 10% CO2 absorption efficiency. The addition of Ca(OH)2 dramatically enhanced the CO2 absorption, remained the desulfurization efficiency, unfortunately restricted the denitrification efficiency. Among various operating parameters, pH of solution played a determining role during the absorption. The contradictory pH demands of CO2 absorption and denitrification were observed and discussed in detail. A higher pH of solution than 10 was favorable for CO2 absorption, while the oxidizing of NO to NO2, NO2- or NO3- by NaClO2 was inhibited in this condition. When 7 < pH < 10, it was favorable for the conversion and absorption of NO and NOx. However, the conversion of HCO3- to CO32- was significantly inhibited, hence preventing the absorption of CO2. Large part of Ca(OH)2 became CaCO3 with a finer particle size, which covered the unreacted Ca(OH)2 surface after the reaction. Kinetic analysis showed that the CO2 absorption in urea-NaClO2-Ca(OH)2 absorbent was controlled by chemical reaction in early stage, then by ash layer diffusion in later stage.

Ube2L6 Promotes M1 Macrophage Polarization in High-Fat Diet-Fed Obese Mice via ISGylation of STAT1 to Trigger STAT1 Activation

INTRODUCTION

In obesity-related type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), M1 macrophages aggravate chronic inflammation and insulin resistance. ISG15-conjugation enzyme E2L6 (Ube2L6) has been demonstrated as a promoter of obesity and insulin resistance. This study investigated the function and mechanism of Ube2L6 in M1 macrophage polarization in obesity.

METHODS

Obesity was induced in Ube2L6AKO mice and age-matched Ube2L6flox/flox control mice by high-fat diet (HFD). Stromal vascular cells were isolated from the epididymal white adipose tissue of mice. Polarization induction was performed in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) by exposure to IFN-γ, lipopolysaccharide, or IL-4. F4/80 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry staining. Expressions of M1/M2 macrophage markers and target molecules were determined by flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting, respectively. Protein interaction was validated by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay. The release of TNF-α and IL-10 was detected by ELISA.

RESULTS

The polarization of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages together with an increase in macrophage infiltration was observed in HFD-fed mice, which could be restrained by Ube2L6 knockdown. Additionally, Ube2L6 deficiency triggered the repolarization of BMDMs from M1 to M2 phenotypes. Mechanistically, Ube2L6 promoted the expression and activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) through interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15)-mediated ISGlylation, resulting in M1 macrophage polarization.

CONCLUSION

Ube2L6 exerts as an activator of STAT1 via post-translational modification of STAT1 by ISG15, thereby triggering M1 macrophage polarization in HFD-fed obese mice. Overall, targeting Ube2L6 may represent an effective therapeutic strategy for ameliorating obesity-related T2DM.

The Potential Prebiotic Berberine Combined With Methimazole Improved the Therapeutic Effect of Graves' Disease Patients Through Regulating the Intestinal Microbiome

Graves’ disease, a typical metabolism disorder, causes diffuse goiter accompanied by ocular abnormalities and ocular dysfunction. Although methimazole (MI) is a commonly used drug for the treatment of GD, the efficacy of methimazole is only limited to the control of clinical indicators, and the side effects of MI should be seriously considered. Here, we designed a 6-month clinical trial that divided the patients into two groups: a methimazole group (n=8) and a methimazole combined with potential prebiotic berberine group (n=10). The effects of both treatments on thyroid function and treatment outcomes in patients with GD were assessed by thyroid index measurements and gut microbiota metagenomic sequencing. The results showed that the addition of berberine restored the patients’ TSH and FT3 indices to normal levels, whereas MI alone restored only FT3. In addition, TRAb was closer to the healthy threshold at the end of treatment with the drug combination. MI alone failed to modulate the gut microbiota of the patients. However, the combination of berberine with methimazole significantly altered the microbiota structure of the patients, increasing the abundance of the beneficial bacteria Lactococcus lactis while decreasing the abundance of the pathogenic bacteria Enterobacter hormaechei and Chryseobacterium indologenes. Furthermore, further mechanistic exploration showed that the addition of berberine resulted in a significant upregulation of the synthesis of enterobactin, which may have increased iron functioning and thus restored thyroid function. In conclusion, methimazole combined with berberine has better efficacy in patients with GD, suggesting the potential benefit of berberine combined with methimazole in modulating the composition of intestinal microbes in the treatment of GD, providing new strong evidence for the effectiveness of combining Chinese and Western drugs from the perspective of modulating the intestinal microbiota.

Establishing a novel colorectal cancer predictive model based on unique gut microbial single nucleotide variant markers

Current metagenomic species-based colorectal cancer (CRC) microbial biomarkers may confuse diagnosis because the genetic content of different microbial strains, even those belonging to the same species, may differ from 5% to 30%. Here, a total of 7549 non-redundant single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were annotated in 25 species from 3 CRC cohorts (n = 249). Then, 22 microbial SNV markers that contributed to distinguishing subjects with CRC from healthy subjects were identified by the random forest algorithm to construct a novel CRC predictive model. Excitingly, the predictive model showed high accuracy both in the training (AUC = 75.35%) and validation cohorts (AUC = 73.08%-88.02%). We further explored the specificity of these SNV markers in a broader background by performing a meta-analysis across 4 metabolic disease cohorts. Among these SNV markers, 3 SNVs that were enriched in CRC patients and located in the genomes of Eubacterium rectale and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii were CRC specific (AUC = 72.51%-94.07%).

Probiotic Bifidobacterium longum supplied with methimazole improved the thyroid function of Graves' disease patients through the gut-thyroid axis

Graves’ disease (GD) is an autoimmune disorder that frequently results in hyperthyroidism and other symptoms. Here, we designed a 6-month study with patients divided into three treatment groups, namely, methimazole (MI, n = 8), MI + black bean (n = 9) and MI + probiotic Bifidobacterium longum (n = 9), to evaluate the curative effects of probiotics supplied with MI on thyroid function of patients with GD through clinical index determination and intestinal microbiota metagenomic sequencing. Unsurprisingly, MI intake significantly improved several thyroid indexes but not the most important thyrotropin receptor antibody (TRAb), which is an indicator of the GD recurrence rate. Furthermore, we observed a dramatic response of indigenous microbiota to MI intake, which was reflected in the ecological and evolutionary scale of the intestinal microbiota. In contrast, we did not observe any significant changes in the microbiome in the MI + black bean group. Similarly, the clinical thyroid indexes of patients with GD in the probiotic supplied with MI treatment group continued to improve. Dramatically, the concentration of TRAb recovered to the healthy level. Further mechanistic exploration implied that the consumed probiotic regulated the intestinal microbiota and metabolites. These metabolites impacted neurotransmitter and blood trace elements through the gut-brain axis and gut-thyroid axis, which finally improved the host’s thyroid function.

Huo et al conducted a 6 month study in patients with Graves’ Disease in which they administered probiotic Bifidobacterium longum with and without methimazole. They report that Bifidobacterium longum with methimazole potentially improves thyroid function in patients and provide evidence to suggest that this is via the gut-thyroid axis.

N2O inhibition by toluene over Mn-Fe spinel SCR catalyst

Co-removal of toluene in NH₃-SCR unit over Mn based catalysts is desirable but still faces the big challenge of byproduct greenhouse gas N₂O. In this work, the impacts of toluene on N₂O formation mechanism was studied. The main N₂O formation pathways in NH₃-SCR over Mn-Fe spinel were NH₃ oxidation and non-catalytic selective reduction (NSCR), in which NSCR dominated below 250 °C. The N₂O from NSCR through both Eley-Rideal (E-R) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanisms was confirmed. And the E-R mechanism was dominant at 200 °C. Toluene was effectively co-removed with NO_x with the advantage of N₂O inhibition. Toluene suppressed N₂O generation from both NH₃ oxidation and NSCR. NH₃ oxidation by gaseous O₂ and catalyst surface oxygen was all limited by toluene, resulting in less adsorbed NH that was further proved by the larger energy barriers of NH₃*→NH₂* and NH₂*→NH* on toluene pre-adsorbed catalyst surface. NO oxidation was also limited, suppressing the generation of adsorbed NO₃^-. Due to the inhibition of NH₃ and NO activation to key intermediates NH and NO₃^-, respectively, the N₂O generation from E-R route was slightly decreased in the presence of toluene, while that from L-H route was completely prohibited at 200 °C.

Promotion of TiO2 Nanotube-Confined Pt Nanoparticles via Surface Modification with Fe2O3 for Ethylene Oxidation at Low Temperature

A modified confined catalyst with Pt nanoparticles on the interior and Fe₂O₃ on the exterior surface of TiO₂ nanotubes (Pt-in/Fe₂O₃-TNTs) was prepared and investigated for catalyzing the oxidation of ethylene. Compared with the Pt-in/TNTs without Fe₂O₃ modification, the Pt-in/Fe₂O₃-TNTs exhibited a significantly enhanced activity, and the complete conversion temperature of ethylene decreased from 170 to 95 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the Pt nanoparticles were stabilized at higher oxidation states in the Pt-in/Fe₂O₃-TNT catalyst. It was proposed that the modification of Fe₂O₃ on the outer surface can tune the electronic state of the encapsulated Pt particles and accelerate the electrons transferred from Pt to Fe species via TiO₂ nanotubes, thus improving the catalytic oxidation performance of the confined catalyst.

Induction of long-term glycemic control in a type 2 diabetic patient for 11 years by intensive lifestyle intervention

Can diabetes be reversed? Yes! The weight loss due to intensive lifestyle intervention leads to the recovery of islet β cell function, thus changing the natural course of type 2 diabetes.

Data on species and concentration of the main gaseous products during sludge combustion to support the feasibility of using sludge as a flue gas denitration agent for the cement industry

The dataset presented in this article is the supplementary data for the research article Fang et al., 2019 [1] and provided detailed data profile to support that sludge is an effective NO_X reducing agent, as reductive gas components produce during sludge combustion. The instantaneous concentrations of the main gaseous products during sludge combustion were detected by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, DX-4000, Gasmet Technologies). The results showed the distribution and concentration level of gaseous products during sludge combustion and evidenced the feasibility of using sludge as a deNO_X agent in cement industry.

Synthesis of zeolite nanocrystals with intercrystal mesopores using an organosilane as the structure directing agent

This study utilizes an applied approach to obtain novel ZMS-5 nanocrystals with mesoporosity using an organosilane as an additive.

Hydrothermal synthesis of a Ba and Mg co-doped Bi12GeO20 photocatalyst with enhanced visible light catalytic activity

(Ba, Mg)-codoped Bi₁₂GeO₂₀ was successfully synthesized through the one-step hydrothermal method, and the band gap was greatly narrowed.

Fabrication of TiO2nanotubes-assembled hierarchical microspheres with enhanced photocatalytic degradation activity

TiO₂nanotubes-assembled hierarchical microspheres with larger surface area and good light-harvesting capacity exhibit much higher photocatalytic degradation activity.

Nanoscale control of an interfacial metal-insulator transition at room temperature

Experimental and theoretical investigations have demonstrated that a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas (q-2DEG) can form at the interface between two insulators: non-polar SrTiO3 and polar LaTiO3 (ref. 2), LaAlO3 (refs 3-5), KTaO3 (ref. 7) or LaVO3 (ref. 6). Electronically, the situation is analogous to the q-2DEGs formed in semiconductor heterostructures by modulation doping. LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructures have recently been shown to exhibit a hysteretic electric-field-induced metal-insulator quantum phase transition for LaAlO3 thicknesses of 3 unit cells. Here, we report the creation and erasure of nanoscale conducting regions at the interface between two insulating oxides, LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. Using voltages applied by a conducting atomic force microscope (AFM) probe, the buried LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface is locally and reversibly switched between insulating and conducting states. Persistent field effects are observed using the AFM probe as a gate. Patterning of conducting lines with widths of approximately 3 nm, as well as arrays of conducting islands with densities >10(14) inch(-2), is demonstrated. The patterned structures are stable for >24 h at room temperature.