Illustration showing how the sponge nanocomposite material recovers phosphate and metals from water. (Image source: Kelly Matuszewski, Northwestern University)

Researchers have created a functional sponge that is capable of efficiently soaking up certain pollutants from water and then releasing them on demand

Industrial manufacturing and agriculture, in particular, experience mineral and fertiliser loss due to runoff, leaving valuable non-renewable resources as pollutants in bodies of water. Those resources include heavy metals like zinc and copper and also phosphate. 

The innovation presents a reusable and low-cost solution for cleaning storm runoff while simultaneously recovering valuable metals like zinc and copper, as well as phosphate. Using surface iron oxide nanoparticles specialised for capturing specific contaminants, the sponge collects the minerals and then discharges them only when triggered by changes in pH. These findings were achieved by researchers at Northwestern University and published in the American Chemical Society's journal Environmental Science and Technology Water.

Doctoral student and first author on the paper, Kelly Matuszewski believes it is important to understand the interaction between these minerals and utilise them, rather than finding ways to discard them. Through her research she discovered that lowering water pH flushed out the captured copper and zinc from the sponge, while raising water pH loosened the phosphates.

In an attempt to commercialise the sponge-based technology, Vinayak Dravid, co-author and Northwestern professor of materials science and engineering has co-founded a startup with additional NSF support through the Small Business Innovation Research programme, which will further develop the material for real-life scenarios.

"The technology can be used as a universal sorbent or 'catch-all,' or it can be tailored to certain groups of contaminants like metals, plastics or nutrients," said Dravid. In their future research, the team plans to account for biofilms, clogging or water flow dynamics on the sponge's performance, while also testing the maximum mineral levels the sponge can absorb.

Smart greenhouses utilise sensors responsible for heat control to modify in-house conditions based on the indoor climate. (Image source: Adobe Stock))

The continual development of AI technologies has opened up potential for their use in various farming systems, including greenhouses

As agriculture continues to be one of the top revenue generating sectors in Africa, the popularity of greenhouse systems has seen a significant increase in recent years. Various fruits, vegetables and high-value crops are now being grown in specially designed greenhouse systems throughout the year, irrespective of weather conditions in the region.

Greenhouses are a mode of controlled environment cultivation that aim to create micro-climates that are favourable for producing crops during any time of the year. One of the main advantages of greenhouse systems is their ability to regulate temperature, maintaining optimal conditions in both hot and cold climates. In addition, greenhouses offer protection against pests and diseases, owing to their transparent structures clad with flexible materials that provides excellent ventilation. Moreover, they also optimise the use of other humidification and energy saving technologies that facilitate climate management, thereby boosting overall yield and production.

Since these indoor growing environments mostly require manual operation, installing automation technologies help in maintaining the desired internal environment with reduced reliance on farm labour. Also known as IoT smart greenhouses, these automated systems utilise a wide range of technologies including sensors responsible for heat control that modify in-house conditions based on the indoor climate. Moreover, computer automation software is often used to adjust humidity and venting, while Co2 monitors are used to regulate gas levels in the atmosphere.

Other notable control systems include programmes that automatically dispense pesticides in calculated amounts; equipment control systems that handle the movement of installed lights and planting equipment; fertigation management systems that automatically dispense water through water systems and lastly, drip irrigation systems that use soil sensors to monitor moisture levels in the soil.

Moisture control is a key factor in ensuring the final feed is palatable, retains its nutrients, and is consistent. (Image source: Hydronix))

One of the big challenges in the animal feed industry is the number of different formulations that can be produced by a single plant

For each batch, it is essential to ensure that the quality of the product is correct so that the animals are fed a balanced nutritional diet optimised for their type and stage of development. For this reason, moisture sensors are often used in conjunction with a control system that manages the formulation parameters. Controlling and measuring the moisture enables the correct calibration for each of the different formulations.

Moisture control is a key factor in ensuring the final feed is palatable, retains its nutrients, and is consistent. Benefits of this include:

• Improved nutritional consistency
• Reduced spoilage and waste
• Improved shelf life
• Optimised pellet durability
• Increased plant efficiency
• Reduced process downtime

Where to measure moisture

Effective moisture control of the entire process requires the installation of online moisture measurement sensors in several different positions: 

1. Measurement between raw intake and storage silos allows unsuitable incoming materials to be managed.
2. Ensures raw materials are correctly proportioned, compensating for varying moisture levels in stored material.
3. Drying or Conditioning may be necessary in hot and/or wet climates to increase the moisture of materials for milling, as dry material increases breakage and dust.
4. Measurement in the mixer allows the addition of water to ensure material is sent for conditioning and extrusion/pelleting.
5. The measurement at the input of a dryer can be used as a process variable for feed-forward control.
6. Measuring at the output of a dryer enables feedback control from the setpoint error.
7. Measuring at output of cooler prior to packing/storage allows control of cooler parameters and a final quality control check prior to storage. 

The Hydro-Mix XT sensor is recommended to be installed in the mixer end wall to ensure the mix has the correct moisture, is mixed homogeneously, and is ready for the next process stage.

Animal feed comes in all shapes and sizes and has many different formulations. Moisture measurement is a vital element of the plant to ensure the efficiency of the process and provides precise process variables to the control system that can use stored calibration data for different formulations. Moisture measurement is also important for a quality controller to ensure the feed is palatable, retains its nutritional value and has a suitable shelf life. 

Read the full story at https://hubs.li/Q03jRlZc0

The project is designed to validate wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis as a rapid and affordable approach to drug development. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Wamego-based company, Tritica Biosciences, along with three other partners have joined hands to work under Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks, on a million-dollar project aimed at exploring the potential of the wheat crop in transforming drug development

The project is designed to validate wheat germ cell-free protein synthesis as a rapid and affordable approach to drug development. This powerful innovation introduces a new method of biomanufacturing that has broad applications across various sectors ranging from food to pharmaceuticals.

The ARPA-H project, known as Wheat-based High efficiency Enzyme and API Technology (WHEAT) is one of the first initiatives within ARPA-H’s Scalable Solutions Office, which aims to transform the health by improving the speed, scale and access to medical treatments.

The project aims to boost domestic manufacturing of critical medicines by producing them when and where they are needed. Many active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are currently affected by fragile global supply chains, and reshoring biomanufacturing will help stabilise the supply of critical, life-saving drugs.

According to a news release from Ginkgo Bioworks, WHEAT’s innovations will include post-translational modifications to establish a foundation suitable for producing biologics. 

“By harnessing the power of wheat based cell-free systems, we’re planting the future of medicine, helping to make production more efficient, flexible and localised,” said Dr Chris Miller, founder and CSO, Tritica Biosciences.