Peak integration is a major and often underestimated source of uncertainty in pharmaceutical LC-UV quality control (QC), particularly when minor impurity peaks appear as shoulders or rider peaks on the tails of overloaded active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) peaks. In routine QC, APIs are frequently injected at high concentrations to ensure sufficient sensitivity for impurity analysis, which can result in partial column overloading and pronounced peak tailing. Here, we systematically evaluated integration accuracy and analyst interaction for commonly used rule-based integration algorithms implemented in commercial chromatographic data systems (Agilent OpenLab and Waters Empower) and compared them with an in-house independent integration system (IIS). The assessment included synthetic chromatograms with known areas as well as experimental LC-UV data for metoprolol and six related impurities. For baseline-resolved symmetric peaks, relative integration errors remained within approximately +/- 1.5% across all systems. For partially overlapping symmetric peaks, integration errors depended on peak size, noise level, and the integration method applied. In several rider-peak scenarios, errors for the perpendicular drop method (PDM) exceeded 100%. Application of the exponential skim method (ESM) reduced errors considerably, typically to 10-30% and in some cases to below +/- 5%, although not consistently. In the selected complex cases, greater analyst interaction was required in the commercial systems, increasing the potential for user-dependent variability. Overall, in the investigated cases, integration accuracy was strongly dependent on peak shape and overlap, with larger errors observed in asymmetric, shoulder, and rider-peak scenarios. These findings highlight the importance of integration-method selection and standardized integration practice in pharmaceutical LC-UV impurity analysis.
Kraft pulp mills are increasingly viewed as strategic platforms for decarbonization because they combine biogenic carbon flows, chemical recovery infrastructure, and opportunities for heat and material integration within a circular bioeconomy. However, prior reviews have focused mainly on gasification and have given less attention to integrated carbon capture, high value product routes, commercial failure lessons, and pathway specific economic thresholds. We critically reviewed sources published from 2018 to 2025 using the ROSES framework and a standardized reference case of a 1000 ADt/day bleached kraft mill. The synthesis compared black liquor gasification, lignin and hemicellulose valorization, heat integration, and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage using exergy, greenhouse gas, techno economic, and technology readiness evidence. Results show that black liquor gasification-based systems can increase exergy efficiency from about 40% for conventional recovery boilers to about 44% in integrated configurations, while system expansion studies report net greenhouse gas intensities of about 0.3 to 0.6 t CO2 below zero per tonne pulp for selected fuel and chemical pathways. Carbon capture can deepen decarbonization, but the outcome is route specific: post combustion MEA systems typically achieve about 0.3 to 0.9 t CO2 below zero per tonne pulp, whereas pre combustion capture integrated with black liquor gasification and water gas shift can reach about 0.8 to 1.5 t CO2 below zero per tonne pulp where transport and storage infrastructure exist. Economic performance remains highly sensitive to product price, capital cost, utilization rate, and carbon price.
Green diesel, a renewable fuel from organic waste and plant materials, offers an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional fossil fuels by significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainability. Consequently, the current investigation emphasizes the new studies on production of green diesel from fat, oil, and grease (FOG), colloquially known as sewer grease, through the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction utilizing a bimetallic modified iron foam catalyst identified as NixCey/Fe-Foam. This catalyst was synthesized using a series of cerium loadings with a fixed amount of nickel (Ni0.34Ce0.30/Fe-Foam, Ni0.34Ce0.36/ Fe-Foam, Ni0.34Ce0.42/Fe-Foam) via an electrodeposition method followed by H2 annealing. Comprehensive characterization of the catalysts was conducted, revealing that most exhibited a surface area ranging from 0.35 to 45.13 m2/g, with an acid site density of 12 to 246 & micro;mol/g. Notably, the presence of cerium species enhances the number of acid sites, facilitating the elimination of oxygen functionalities. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited a distinct rosette-like morphology. In the context of the catalytic HDO screening conducted at 400 degrees C for 6 h, the Ni0.34Ce0.42/Fe-Foam (H2) catalyst, enriched with cerium vacancy species, outperformed the other catalysts, achieving a HDO-derived liquid products yield of 87% and selectivity of 74% towards C15 + C17 and C16 + C18. This superior performance can be attributed to weak to medium acidity sites within the catalyst, which enhance its catalytic efficacy in the HDO process rather than being related to surface area characteristics.
The electrical performance and reliability of photovoltaic modules are strongly influenced by the quality of the interconnections between cells. In this study, advanced Light Beam Induced Current (LBIC) phase mapping was utilized to assess local electrical behavior in half-cell samples before and after lamination. The interconnections were made with intentionally varied quality in different regions. After lamination, all regions exhibited increased phase shifts, with poorly connected areas showing significantly higher values, attributed to increased local series resistance. Cross-sectional optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging confirmed the presence of gaps at poorly soldered contacts, supporting the electrical observations. This study demonstrates that LBIC phase mapping, supported by microscopic imaging, is a highly sensitive method for detecting interconnection defects and provides valuable feedback for improving solar module manufacturing.
Climate change adaptation's place in the contemporary climate change discourse continues to evolve, as does its identity as a form of inquiry, mode of critique, form of policy and type of practice. In this article we argue that there is an evolution in scholarship occurring in terms of a transition from a scientific/technical mode of inquiry to one more engaged with the social sciences. We argue that politics determine society's adaptation responses and that politics constitute an adaptive response in its own right. With support of the reviewed literature, we conclude that it is fruitful, and even necessary, to understand climate change adaptation as politics in order to facilitate stronger scholarship but also to foster more inclusive practices. We argue that politics is, in itself, climate change adaptation and that this understanding of climate change adaptation has implications for both scholarship and practice.
