Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) is thought to be the most effective remediation material for contaminated soil, especially when it comes to heavy metal pollutants. In the current high-industrial and technologically advanced period, water pollution has emerged as one of the most significant causes for concern. In this instance, silica was coated with zero-valent iron nanoparticles at 650 and 800 ℃. Ferric iron with various counter-ions, nitrate (FN) and chloride (FC), and sodium borohydride as a reducing agent were used to create nanoscale zero-valent iron in an ethanol medium with nitrogen ambient conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) techniques were employed to describe the structures of the generated zero-valent iron nanoparticles. Further, we investigated the electrical properties and adsorption characteristics of dyes such as alizarin red in an aqueous medium. As a result, zero-valent nano iron (nZVI), a core-shell environmental functional material, has found extensive application in environmental cleanup. The knowledge in this work will be useful for nZVI-related future research and real-world applications.

The role of trace gases in the storage of heat in the atmosphere of the Earth and in the exchange of energy between the atmosphere and outer space is discussed. The molar heat capacities of the trace gases water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane are only slightly higher than those of nitrogen and oxygen. The contribution of trace gases carbon dioxide and methane to heat storage is negligible. Water vapor, with its higher concentration and conversion energies, contributes significantly to the heat storage in the atmosphere. Most of the heat in the Earth’s atmosphere is stored in nitrogen and oxygen, the main components of the atmosphere. The trace gases act as converters of infrared radiation into heat and vice versa. They are receivers and transmitters in the exchange of energy with outer space. The radiation towards space is favored compared to the reflection towards the surface of the Earth with increasing altitude by decreasing the density of the atmosphere and condensation of water vapor. Predictions of the development of the climate over a century by extrapolation are critically assessed.

To achieve the Paris Agreement's temperature goal, greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced as soon as, and by as much, as possible. By mid-century, CO₂ emissions would need to be cut to zero, and total greenhouse gases would need to be net zero just after mid-century. Achieving carbon neutrality is impossible without carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere through afforestation/reforestation. It is necessary to ensure carbon storage for a period of 100 years or more. The study focuses on the theoretical feasibility of an integrated climate project involving carbon storage, emissions reduction and sequestration through the systemic implementation of plantation forestry of fast-growing eucalyptus species in Brazil, the production of long-life wood building materials and their deposition. The project defines two performance indicators: a) emission reduction units; and b) financial costs. We identified the baseline scenarios for each stage of the potential climate project and developed different trajectory options for the project scenario. Possible negative environmental and reputational effects as well as leakages outside of the project design were considered. Over 7 years of the plantation life cycle, the total CO₂ sequestration is expected to reach 403 tCO₂∙ha⁻¹. As a part of the project, we proposed to recycle or deposit for a long term the most part of the unused wood residues that account for 30% of total phytomass. The full project cycle can ensure that up to 95% of the carbon emissions from the grown wood will be sustainably avoided.

We present an innovative enthalpy method for determining the thermal properties of phase change materials (PCM). The enthalpy-temperature relation in the “mushy” zone is modelled by means of a fifth order Obreshkov polynomial with continuous first and second order derivatives at the zone boundaries. The partial differential equation (PDE) for the conduction of heat is rewritten so that the enthalpy variable is not explicitly present, rendering the equation nonlinear. The thermal conductivity of the PCM is assumed to be temperature dependent and is modelled by a fifth order Obreshkov polynomial as well. The method has been applied to lauric acid, a standard prototype. The latent heat and the conductivity coefficient, being the model parameters, were retrieved by fitting the measurements obtained through a simple experimental procedure. Therefore, our proposal may be profitably used for the study of materials intended for heat-storage applications.

This research aims to investigate the impact of knowledge-based human resource management (KBHRM) practices on organizational performance through the mediating role of quality and quantity of knowledge worker productivity (QQKWP). The data were collected from 325 employees working in different private universities of Pakistan by using convenience and purposive sampling techniques. The quantitative research technique was used to perform analysis on WarpPLS software. The result revealed that only knowledge-based recruiting practices have a positive and significant direct effect on organizational performance. While knowledge-based performance appraisal practices, training and development practices and compensation practices all were insignificant in this regard. However, through mediator QQKWP, the knowledge-based recruiting practices (KBRP), knowledge-based training and development (KBTD), and knowledge-based compensation practices (KBCP) all were positively and significantly influencing organizational performance but only knowledge-based performance appraisal (KBPA) was insignificant in this mediating relationship. Lastly, the current study provides useful insights into the knowledge management (KM) literature in the context of private higher educational institutes of developing countries like Pakistan. The future studies should consider the impact of KBHRM practices on knowledge workers’ productivity and firms’ performances in the context of public universities.

We develop a relatively cheap technology of processing a scrap in the form of already used tungsten-containing products (spirals, plates, wires, rods, etc.), as well not conditional tungsten powders. The main stages of the proposed W-scrap recycling method are its dispersing and subsequent dissolution under controlled conditions in hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution resulting in the PTA (PeroxpolyTungstic Acid) formation. The filtered solution, as well as the solid acid obtained by its evaporation, are used to synthesize various tungsten compounds and composites. Good solubility of PTA in water and some other solvents allows preparing homogeneous liquid charges, heat treatment of which yield WC and WC–Co in form of ultradispersed powders. GO (Graphene Oxide) and PTA composite is obtained and its phase transition in vacuum and reducing atmosphere (H₂) is studied. By vacuum-thermal exfoliation of GO–PTA composite at 170–500℃ the rGO (reduced GO) and WO_2.9 tungsten oxide are obtained, and at 700℃—rGO–WO₂ composite. WC, W₂C and WC–Co are obtained from PTA at high temperature (900–1000℃). By reducing PTA in a hydrogen atmosphere, metallic tungsten powder is obtained, which was used to obtain sandwich composites with boron carbide B₄C, W/B₄C, and W/(B₄C–W), as neutron shield materials. Composites of sandwich morphology are formed by SPS (Spark-Plasma Sintering) method.