Hydrolysis is considered the rate-limiting step in the anaerobic digestion of food waste. In this study, the effect of γ-ray irradiation on the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency of polysaccharides, ...proteins and oils in food waste was performed. The cooked rice, tofu and soybean oil were irradiated with
60
Co-γ rays. The samples treated with different doses (0, 8.28, 16.56, 24.84 kGy) of irradiation were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis experiments at constant temperature. The results show that γ-ray irradiation can enhance the sensitivity of starch, protein and oil to the corresponding enzymes, so that their enzymatic hydrolysis rate and degree can be improved.
International shipping has a well established reputation as the most energy efficient mode of freight transport. However, treating shipping within the context of global environmental concerns has ...gained significant momentum over the last 10 years, particularly in relation to the generation of Green House Gases (GHG) and other contributions to air and water pollution. Shipping relies on fuel oil and this implies that understanding the potential of alternative non-carbon marine propulsion technologies is necessary as the industry moves forward with its longer term decarbonisation efforts. Without any intend to underestimate the potential environmental and economic benefits of renewable, natural gas or non-fossil (e.g. biofuels) energy resources, it would be only sensible to add on the nuclear engineering option as a possible alternative. As successful as traditional nuclear propulsion has been in the naval and ice breaker ship segments, one aspect of the industry that escaped attention in the commercial sector is the use of modern small and medium size reactor technology on-board ocean going vessels. This paper reviews past and recent work in the area of marine nuclear propulsion and for the purpose of demonstration outlines the technical considerations on the concept design of a Suezmax Tanker powered by the Gen4Energy 70MW Small Modular Reactor (SMR). It is shown that understanding the technical risks and implications of implementing modern nuclear technology is an essential first step in the long term process of developing knowledge and experience.
•SMR technologies can be useful for the propulsion of ocean going vessels.•Implementation of the SMR technology seems feasible within the context of risk based ship design.•Further research, development and policy actions are necessary for the facilitation of the concept over the long term.
The scope of the Glossary of Nuclear Terms (Lexikon zur Kernenergie) is intended to focus on the key terms concerning the public debate about the peaceful use of nuclear energy, in order to explain ...the meanings of technical terms that may be unfamiliar to many people.
The food industry, as a consequence of globalization and in particular with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is calling for additional measures to reduce the risks of contamination throughout ...the steps of the food chain. Several methods are used to avoid this problem, such as hot water or chemical procedures. However, they have some disadvantages like high economic costs or the fact that they are not eco-friendly technologies. For those reasons, novel strategies are being sought in order to substitute or work in synergy with conventional decontamination systems. Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAP) can be produced by many various sources for a wide range of different applications, including decontamination. In this study, a Large-Area Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge plasma source has been used with the aim of inactivating
Staphylococcus epidermidis
inoculated on polypropylene food packaging samples inside a treatment chamber. Moreover, electrical and chemical analysis of the plasma source has been carried out, as well as temperature measurements. A homogenous distribution of the reactive species inside the treatment chamber was suggested, achieving almost 2 log of bacteria reduction for every plasma treatment. Finally, it was suggested that the inactivation rates reached were not caused by the thermal effect. Thus, it is strongly believed that CAP could be an eco-friendly, cheap, and sustainable technology for food packaging and food tools decontamination.
This article discusses the main aspects of the Brazilian Navy's nuclear-powered submarine program. It first discusses the Brazilian perception that the restrictions imposed by the world powers ...related to so-called sensitive technologies are a tool to maintain the status quo and hamper the technological progress of developing countries. The article then focuses on the political, economic, technological, and strategic reasons behind the creation and maintenance of the autonomous nuclear-propulsion submarine program. Next, the article examines strategic aspects of the program and their institutionalization in high-level defense documents, informing Brazil's opposition to adopting additional nonproliferation measures. Finally, it discusses Brazilian policy toward the South Atlantic Ocean and the role of the nuclear-powered submarine. The article seeks to shed light on the main reasons that led Brazil to build and maintain such submarines and maps the program's phases of development.
Lottaz, Iwama, and their contributors investigate the role of neutral and nonaligned European states during the negotiations for the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Focusing ...on the years from the Irish Resolution of 1958 until the treaty’s opening for signatures ten years later, the nine chapters written by area experts highlight the processes and reasons for the political and diplomatic actions the neutrals took, and how those impacted the multilateral treaty negotiations. The book reveals new aspects of the dynamics that lead to this most consequential multilateral breakthrough of the Cold War. In part one, three chapters analyze the international system from a bird’s eye perspective, discussing neutrality, nonalignment, and the nuclear order. The second part features six detailed case studies on the politics and diplomacy of Ireland, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, Austria, and Yugoslavia. Overall, this study suggests that despite the volatile and dangerous nature of the early Cold War, the balance of the strategic environment enabled actors that were not part of one or the other alliance system to play a role in the interlocking global politics that finally created the nuclear regime that defines international relations until today. A valuable resource for scholars of nonproliferation, the Cold War, neutrality, nonalignment, and area studies.
In this article, we describe an experimental verification of the correctness of registration of delayed neutrons from
238
U photofission at a maximum energy of 10 MeV of bremsstrahlung γ quanta on a ...pulsed linear electron accelerator LUE-8-5 in an interval of (1–5) ms after each beam pulse at times ≳7 min from the onset of irradiation. The measurements have been carried out using the scintillation spectrometer of fast neutrons based on a single stilbene crystal with pulse shape discrimination of γ quanta and fast neutrons. The temporal dependence of the counting rate of delayed neutrons in
238
U photofission has been measured at a repetition rate of 300 s
–1
in a time interval of (1.25–3.30) ms after the beam pulse.
In this article, we ask how the approaches of climate engineering – mostly highly technological approaches to address the challenge of global climate change – might be organised in the age of the ...Anthropocene. We understand the term ‘Anthropocene’ to be characterised by crisis, on one hand, and by promise, on the other. In particular, we aim to raise doubts on the dominant perspective on the organisation of climate engineering, which assumes these approaches to be regulated through legalistic means. Drawing an analogy to the early development stages of nuclear weapons, we point out that, instead of following a legalistic rationale, climate engineering organisation might pursue a logic of technical feasibility, political acceptance and bureaucratic momentum.
This article sheds light on the French strategic nuclear assistance to South Africa between 1964 and 1979 based on untapped primary sources from both countries. It documents a vast cooperation ...between France and South Africa from nuclear and military technology to tacit knowledge. It shows that, contrary to common assumptions, this nuclear cooperation was not unidirectional but benefited the nuclear programs of both countries. It also argues that French leaders were fully aware of the risks of proliferation. The article draws conclusions on how to redefine nuclear assistance and write global Cold War history so as not to keep such cooperations invisible.
