Utilizing nanotechnology to boost the reliability and determine the vertical load capacity of pile assemblies.

Because of their high electrocatalytic activity, sensitivity, selectivity, and long-term stability in electrochemical sensors and biosensors, numerous nanomaterials are being used as suitable electrode materials thanks to developments in nanotechnology. Electrochemical sensors and biosensors are two areas where two-dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) are finding increasing utility due to their unusual structure and physicochemical features. Nanosensors, by their unprecedented sensitivity and minute scale, can probe deeper into the structural integrity of piles, capturing intricacies that traditional tools overlook. These advanced devices detect anomalies, voids, and minute defects in the pile structure with unparalleled granularity. Their effectiveness lies in detection and their capacity to provide real-time feedback on pile health, heralding a shift from reactive to proactive maintenance methodologies. Harvesting data from these nanosensors, data was incorporated into a probabilistic model, executing the reliability index calculations through Monte Carlo simulations. Preliminary outcomes show a commendable enhancement in the predictability of vertical bearing capacity, with the coefficient of variation dwindling by up to 12%. The introduction of nanosensors facilitates instantaneous monitoring and fortifies the long-term stability of pile foundations. This study accentuates the transformative potential of nanosensors in geotechnical engineering.

Latest insights on separation and storage of carbon compounds in buildings towards sustainable environment: Recent innovations, challenges, future perspectives and application of machine learning.

Throughout the past few decades, scientific agencies have paid a lot of attention to environmental issues such as acid rain, water poisoning, and global warming. In order to solve these environmental problems, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which are made up of metal ions and/or clusters attached to organic ligands, have shown some promise. With a focus on the usage of MOFs, this paper examines the most recent developments, difficulties, and potential future directions in the separation and storage of carbon compounds in buildings for a sustainable environment. The importance of using MOFs in decarbonizing water systems and lowering environmental concerns in buildings is highlighted in the research. It addresses the most recent developments in the use of MOFs for renewable energy, such as the elimination of dangerous gases like CO2 and CH4 from water systems. The article also looks at how MOFs might be used to decarbonize water systems in structures, with a focus on how carbon-containing compounds are stored chemically and physically using artificial neural network models. MOFs are a potential solution for renewable energy and environmental remediation in buildings because they have special physical and chemical characteristics like adjustable pores, high porosity, and tiny pore size. The report offers insights into existing treatments and invites academics to investigate MOFs' potential for resolving environmental problems in order to create a sustainable environment in buildings.

The use of inorganic ferrous-ferric oxide nanoparticles to improve fresh and durability properties of foamed concrete.

Efforts to modify cement-based mixtures have continuously engrossed the interest of academics. Favourable impacts of nanoparticles, for instance, fine particle size and great reactivity, have made them be utilized in concrete. Foamed concrete (FC) is immensely porous, and its properties diminish with an increase in the number of pores. To enhance its properties, the FC matrix could be attuned by integrating numerous nanoparticles. The influence of ferrous-ferric oxide nanoparticles (FFO-NP) in FC was not discovered previously in the present body of knowledge. Thus, there is some uncertainty contemplating the mechanism to which extent the FFO-NP can affect the durability properties of FC. Hence, this study focuses on utilizing FFO-NP in the FC matrix. FC specimens with a density of 1000 kg/m3 were cast and tested. The objective was to assess the influence of different FFO-NP weight fractions (0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25%, 0.30%, and 0.35%) on durability properties such as drying shrinkage, porosity, water absorption and ultrasonic wave propagation velocity of FC. The results implied that the presence of a 0.25% weight fraction of FFO-NP in FC facilitates optimal water absorption, porosity, ultrasonic pulse velocity and drying shrinkage of FC. The presence of FFO-NP alters the microstructural of FC from loose needle-like into a dense cohesive microstructure of the cementitious composite. Besides, FFO-NP augments the FC matrix by filling the voids, microcracks, and spaces within the structure. Further than the ideal weight fraction of FFO-NP addition, the accretion of the FFO-NP was found, which caused a decline in durability properties.

Spotlighting of microbial electrodeionization cells for sustainable wastewater treatment: Application of machine learning.

Microbial electrodeionization cells (MECs) have been investigated for various potential applications, including the elimination of persistent pollutants, chemical synthesis, the recovery of resources, and the development of biosensors. Nevertheless, MEC technology is still developing, and practical large-scale applications face significant obstacles. This review aims to investigate MEC implementations in sustainable wastewater treatment. Ideas and concepts of MEC technology, the setup of the electrodeionization component, the membranes of MECs, the working mechanism of MECs, and the various microorganisms used in MECs are discussed. Additionally, difficulties and prospective outcomes were discussed. The goal of this review is to support scientists and engineers in fully grasping the most recent developments in MEC technologies and applications.

Application of Polyacrylic Hydrogel in Durability and Reduction of Environmental Impacts of Concrete through ANN.

While adding superabsorbent polymer hydrogel particles to fresh concrete admixtures, they act as internal curing agents that absorb and then release large amounts of water and reduce self-desiccation and volumetric shrinkage of cement that finally result in hardened concrete with increased durability and strength. The entrainment of microscopic air bubbles in the concrete paste can substantially improve the resistance of concrete. When the volume and distribution of entrained air are adequately managed, the microstructure is protected from the pressure produced by freezing water. This study addresses the design and application of hydrogel nanoparticles as internal curing agents in concrete, as well as new findings on crucial hydrogel-ion interactions. When mixed into concrete, hydrogel particles produce their stored water to power the curing reaction, resulting in less volumetric shrinkage and cracking and thereby prolonging the service life of concrete. The mechanical and swelling performance qualities of the hydrogel are very sensitive to multivalent cations found naturally in concrete mixes, such as aluminum and calcium. The interactions between hydrogel nanoparticles and alkaline cementitious mixes are described in this study, while emphasizing how the chemical structure and shape of the hydrogel particles regulate swelling behavior and internal curing efficiency to eliminate voids in the admixture. Moreover, in this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) was utilized to precisely and quickly analyze the test results of the compressive strength and durability of concrete. The addition of multivalent cations reduced swelling capacity and changed swelling kinetics, resulting in fast deswelling behavior and the creation of a mechanically stiff shell in certain hydrogel compositions. Notably, when hydrogel particles were added to a mixture, they reduced shrinkage while encouraged the creation of particular inorganic phases within the void area formerly held by the swelled particle.

Mechanical Characteristics and Self-Healing Soil-Cementitious Hydrogel Materials in Mine Backfill Using Hybridized ANFIS-SVM.

The compressive strength, shrinkage, elasticity, and electrical resistivity of the cement-soil pastes (slag, fly ash) of self-healing of cementitious concrete have been studied while adding hydrogels with nano silica (NSi) in this research. Defining the hydraulic and mechanical properties of these materials requires improvement to motivate more uptake for new buildings. Initially, examining the impact of different synthesized hydrogels on cement-soil pastes showed that solid particles in the mixtures highly affected the absorption capacity of NSi, representing the importance of direct interactions between solid particles and hydrogels in a cementitious matrix. All test results were analyzed by use of a hybridized soft computing model such as the adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and support vector regression (SVR) for precise studying and the avoidance of few empirical tests or error percentages. Subsequently, the best RMSE of ANFIS is 0.6568 and the best RMSE of SVM is 1.2564; the RMSE of ANFIS-SVM (0.5643) in the test phase is also close to zero, showing a better performance in hypothesizing self-healing soil-cementitious hydrogel materials in mine backfill. The R2 value for ANFIS-SVM is 0.9547, proving that it is a proper model for predicting the study's goal. Electrical resistivity and compressive strength declined in the cement-soil pastes including hydrogels according to experimental outcomes; it was lowered by the increase of NSi concentration in the hydrogel. There was a decrement in the autogenous shrinkage of cement-soil pastes while adding hydrogel, depending on the NSi concentration in the hydrogels. The findings of this research are pivotal for the internal curing of cementitious materials to define the absorption of hydrogels.

Risk assessment of organophosphorus pesticide residues in drinking water resources: Statistical and Monte-Carlo approach.

A large part of the world's agricultural production, despite its adverse effects on human health and water resources, depends on the use of pesticides. Despite strict regulations, the use of pesticides continues around the world. This study aimed to determine the residual concentrations of malathion and diazinon in samples of drinking water resources. To achieve this goal, 384 samples from 8 various sites from January to December 2020 were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) with an electron capture detector (ECD) and liquid-liquid extraction technique. Besides, statistical analysis and a risk-modeling approach supported by an automatic Monte-Carlo procedure were applied. The results showed that there is a high carcinogenic risk regarding malathion and that the low age population is at the most non-carcinogenic risk regarding diazinon.

Improving the Self-Healing of Cementitious Materials with a Hydrogel System.

Despite cement's superior performance and inexpensive cost compared to other industrial materials, crack development remains a persistent problem in concrete. Given the comparatively low tensile strength, when cracks emerge, a pathway is created for gas and water to enter the cementitious matrix, resulting in steel reinforcement corrosion which compromises the durability of concrete. Superabsorbent hydrogels have been developed as a novel material for enhancing the characteristics of cementitious materials in which they have been demonstrated to decrease autogenous shrinkage and encourage self-healing. This study will detail the design and application of polyelectrolyte hydrogel particles as internal curing agents in concrete and provide new findings on relevant hydrogel-ion interactions. When hydrogel particles are mixed into concrete, they generate their stored water to fuel the curing reaction that results in less cracking and shrinkage, thereby prolonging the service life of the concrete. The interaction of hydrogels with cementitious materials is addressed in this study; the effect of hydrogels on the characteristics and self-healing of cementitious materials was also studied. Incorporating hydrogel particles into cement decreased mixture shrinkage while increasing the production of particular inorganic phases within the vacuum region formerly supplied by the swollen particle. In addition, considering the control paste, cement pastes containing hydrogels exhibited less autogenous shrinkage. The influence of hydrogels on autogenous shrinkage was found to be chemically dependent; the hydrogel with a delayed desorption rate displayed significantly low shrinkage in cement paste.

Adaptive neuro fuzzy selection of important factors for prediction of plasmons in silver nanorods.

The major goal of this study was to find predictors of plasmon positions in silver nanorod (NR) optical absorption spectra. The goal of this study is to use an adaptive neural fuzzy inference system to identify the various input parameters for longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and transverse surface plasmon resonance (TSP). A seed strategy has been used for preparation of the silver NRs. During the preparation, the seed particles are synthesized in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). To produce the silver NRs, metal salt (AgNO3) has been added, as well as ascorbic acid (AA) and CTAB. Skillful prediction could play a pivotal role in the plasmon NR production management. The combination of CTAB and the seeds has the largest influence on the TSPR. The combination of CTAB and AA has the largest influence on the LSPR. The study considering different input parameters simultaneously, to the best of our knowledge, is the first on a small scale and should attract great general interest.

The Development of a New Phosphogypsum-Based Construction Material: A Study of the Physicochemical, Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics.

Phosphogypsum (PG) is a waste (or by-product) of the production of phosphoric acid, a basic constituent in the manufacturing of modern fertilizers. The annual production of phosphogypsum in Tunisia is currently estimated to be 10 million tons. Its storage in slag in close proximity to production plants generates pollution problems; however, valorization may be a solution. The present paper proposes a simple process for the valorization of this by-product into a construction material. Several physicochemical characterizations are used to prove the characteristics of samples. The chemical composition shows that PG is a gypsum compound with several impurities. The morphological analyses show that the powder materials are mesoporous with a lower specific area. The structural characterizations show that these solids play the role of a water pump as the degree of hydration changes from 2 to 0 and vice versa, depending on the temperature. Mechanical and thermal analyses show that the prepared formulation is brittle and insulating, which presents opportunities for it to be used as a decoration material.