This comprehensive summary of the state of the art and the ideas behind the reaction engineering approach (REA) to drying processes is an ideal resource for researchers, academics and industry practitioners. Starting with the formulation, modelling and applications of the lumped-REA, it goes on to detail the use of the REA to describe local evaporation and condensation, and its coupling with equations of conservation of heat and mass transfer, called the spatial-REA, to model non-equilibri...

Interest in biochar among soil and environment researchers has increased dramatically over the past decade. Biochar initially attracted attention for its potential to improve soil fertility and to uncouple the carbon cycle, by storing carbon from the atmosphere in a form that can remain stable for hundreds to thousands of years. Later it was found that biochar had applications in environmental and water science, mining, microbial ecology and other fields. Beneficial effects of biochar and its...

Advanced separations technology is key to closing the nuclear fuel cycle and relieving future generations from the burden of radioactive waste produced by the nuclear power industry. Nuclear fuel reprocessing techniques not only allow for recycling of useful fuel components for further power generation, but by also separating out the actinides, lanthanides and other fission products produced by the nuclear reaction, the residual radioactive waste can be minimised. Indeed, the future of the...

Based on the integration of computer vision and spectrscopy techniques, hyperspectral imaging is a novel technology for obtaining both spatial and spectral information on a product. Used for nearly 20 years in the aerospace and military industries, more recently hyperspectral imaging has emerged and matured into one of the most powerful and rapidly growing methods of non-destructive food quality analysis and control. Hyperspectral Imaging for Food Quality Analysis and Control provides the ...

A comprehensive exposition of micro and nanofiber forming, this text provides a unified framework of all these processes (melt and solution blowing, electrospinning, and so on) and describes their foundations, development and applications. It provides an up-to-date, in-depth physical and mathematical treatment, and discusses a wide variety of applications in different fields, including nonwovens, energy, healthcare and the military. It further highlights the challenges and outstanding issu...

Ceramic nanocomposites have been found to have improved hardness, strength, toughness and creep resistance compared to conventional ceramic matrix composites. Ceramic nanocomposites reviews the structure and properties of these nanocomposites as well as manufacturing and applications.Part one looks at the properties of different ceramic nanocomposites, including thermal shock resistance, flame retardancy, magnetic and optical properties as well as failure mechanisms. Part two deals with th...

Methods in bioinspiration and biomimicking have been around for a long time. However, due to current advances in modern physical, biological sciences, and technologies, our understanding of the methods have evolved to a new level. This is due not only to the identification of mysterious and fascinating phenomena but also to the understandings of the correlation between the structural factors and the performance based on the latest theoretical, modeling, and experimental technologies. Bioin...

This highlights ongoing research efforts on different aspects of polymer nanocomposites and explores their potentials to exhibit multi-functional properties. In this context, it addresses both fundamental and advanced concepts, while delineating the parameters and mechanisms responsible for these potentials. Aspects considered include embrittlement/toughness; wear/scratch behaviour; thermal stability and flame retardancy; barrier, electrical and thermal conductivity; and optical and magnet...

Polymer nanocomposites are polymer matrices reinforced with nano-scale fillers. This new class of composite materials has shown improved mechanical and physical properties. The latter include enhanced optical, electrical and dielectric properties. This important book begins by examining the characteristics of the main types of polymer nanocomposites, then reviews their diverse applications.Part one focuses on polymer/nanoparticle composites, their synthesis, optical properties and electric...

This book demonstrates how imaging techniques, applying different frequency bands from the electromagnetic spectrum, are used in scientific research. Illustrated with numerous examples this book is structured according to the different radiation bands: From Gamma-rays over UV and IR to radio frequencies. In order to ensure a clear understanding of the processing methodologies, the text is enriched with descriptions of how digital images are formed, acquired, processed and how to extract in...

As regulations push the fossil fuel industry toward increasing standards of eco-friendliness and environmental sustainability, desulfurization (the removal of SO2 from industrial waste byproducts) presents a new and unique challenge that current technology is not equipped to address. Advances in nanotechnology offer exciting new opportunities poised to revolutionize desulfurization processes. Applying Nanotechnology to the Desulfurization Process in Petroleum Engineering explores recent de...

The book provides fundamental chemistry and properties of near-critical water (NCW) and supercritical water (SCW), criteria and challenges/solutions in reactor design for NCW and SCW processes, and up-to-date reviews and practice of a wide range of their applications in bio refineries including: production of hydrochars from biomass, SCW oxidation (SCWO) for waste treatment, SCW gasification (SCWG) of biomass and waste for hydrogen and methane production, hydrothermal liquefaction of bioma...