May 2025, Volume 48 Issue 5
    

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    Editorial
  • Gensheng Li, Jinsheng Sun, Zhangxin Chen, Zhenhua Rui
     
  • News
  • Mark Peplow
     
  • Chris Palmer
     
  • Mitch Leslie
     
  • Views & Comments
  • Bao-Chang Sun, Meng-Tong Mi, Sheng-Yi Wang, Xiao-Juan Wang, Xiao-Ling Song, Guang-Wen Chu, Xue-Kuan Li, Dong Huang, Dan Wang, Jian-Feng Chen
     
  • Research
  • Review
    Zhenhua Rui, Tingting Liu, Xin Wen, Siwei Meng, Yang Li, Birol Dindoruk

    Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) represents a critical technological pathway for global carbon emission reduction. CCUS-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technology is the most feasible CCUS technology demonstrating dual benefits of enhanced energy production and carbon reduction. This study comprehensively described the key influencing factors governing CO2-EOR and geological storage and systematically analyzed reservoir properties, fluid characteristics, and operational parameters. The mechanisms of these parameters on EOR versus CO2 storage performance were investigated throughout CCUS-EOR processes. This paper proposes a coupled two-stage CCUS-EOR process: CO2-EOR storage stage and long-term CO2 storage stage after the CO2 injection phase is completed. In each stage, the main control factors impacting the CO2-EOR and storage stages are screened and coupled with rigorous technical analysis. The key factors here are reservoir properties, fluid characteristics, and operational parameter. A novel CCUS-EOR synergistic method was proposed to optimize the lifecycle performance of dual objective of EOR and storage. Furthermore, based on multi-objective optimization, considering the lifecycle, a multi-scale techno-economic evaluation method was proposed to fully assess the CCUS-EOR project performance. Finally, a set of recommendations for advancing CCUS-EOR technologies by deploying multi-factor/multi-field coupling methodologies, novel green intelligent injection materials, and artificial intelligence/machine learning technologies were visited.

  • Review
    Xin Fan, Qing Hu, Y. Frank Cheng

    At present, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the only mature and commercialized technology capable of effectively and economically reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a significant and immediate impact on the CO2 level on Earth. Notably, long-term geological storage of captured CO2 has emerged as a primary storage method, given its minimal impact on surface ecological environments and high level of safety. The integrity of CO2 storage wellbores can be compromised by the corrosion of steel casings and degradation of cement in supercritical CO2 storage environments, potentially leading to the leakage of stored CO2 from the sites. This critical review endeavors to establish a knowledge foundation for the corrosion and materials degradation associated with geological CO2 storage through an in-depth examination and analysis of the environments, operation, and the state-of-the-art progress in research pertaining to the topic. This article discusses the physical and chemical properties of CO2 in its supercritical phase during injection and storage. It then introduces the principle of geological CO2 storage, considerations in the construction of storage systems, and the unique geo–bio–chemical environment involving aqueous media and microbial communities in CO2 storage. After a comprehensive analysis of existing knowledge on corrosion in CO2 storage, including corrosion mechanisms, parametric effects, and corrosion rate measurements, this review identifies technical gaps and puts forward potential avenues for further research in steel corrosion within geological CO2 storage systems.

  • Article
    Kaoping Song, Daigang Wang, Fengyuan Zhang, Hong Fu, Mingxing Bai, Hamid Emami-Meybodi

    High-water-cut mature reservoirs typically serve as the “ballast” for ensuring China’s annual crude oil production of 200 million tons. Despite the use of water flooding and chemical methods, over 40% of crude oil remains unexploited. It is critical to develop efficient revolutionary technologies to further enhance oil recovery (EOR) by a large percentage in high-water-cut mature reservoirs. To address this issue, the potential of vertical remaining oil in Daqing oilfield is first analyzed from massive monitoring data. Using molecular dynamics simulation to design optimal synthetic routine, a copolymer without fluorine or silicon is synthesized by modifying vinyl acetate (VAc) with maleic anhydride (MA) and styrene (St), and treated as a supercritical CO2 (scCO2) thickener. The underlying EOR mechanism of the scCO2 thickener is thereafter clarified by high-temperature, high-pressure oil displacement experiments. The EOR effect by thickened scCO2 flooding in a typical high-water-cut mature reservoir is predicted, and future technological advancements of the technique are ultimately discussed. Results show that the vertical remaining oil enriched in weakly swept zones is a primary target for further EOR in high-water-cut mature reservoirs. The copolymer typically exhibits good solubility, strong dispersion stability, and high thickening effect in scCO2. Under an ambient pressure of 10 MPa and a temperature of 50 °C, the dissolution of copolymer at a mass concentration of 0.2% can effectively increase the viscosity of scCO2 by 39.4 times. Due to the synergistic effect between expanding vertical swept volume and inhibiting gas channeling, crude oil recovery can be further enhanced by 23.1% for a typical high-water-cut mature reservoir when the scCO2 viscosity is increased by 50 times. Our understandings demonstrate that the thickened scCO2 flooding technology has significant technical advantages in high-water-cut mature reservoirs, with challenges and future development directions in field-scale applications also highlighted.

  • Article
    Bo Wang, Huaigang Cheng, Xiong Liu, Zichen Di, Huiping Song, Dongke Zhang, Fangqin Cheng

    Coal is an essential component of global energy; however, the processes of coal mining and utilization produce significant amounts of coal mine goafs, accompanied by coal-based solid wastes and emitted CO2, resulting in severe ecological and environmental challenges. In response to this issue, this study proposes a novel approach for filling coal mine goafs using cementitious materials prepared by coal-based solid wastes mineralized with CO2 (15% in concentration). The CO2 sequestration capacities of individual solid wastes are ranked as follows: carbide slag (CS) > red mud (RM) > fly ash (FA). The performance of filling material prepared from composite solid waste (FA–CS–RM) mineralized with CO2 meets the filling requirements of goaf. The filling material (F60C20R20) obtained by CO2 mineralization was 14.9 MPa in maximum compressive strength, increasing by 32.2% compared to the non-mineralized material. The prepared filling material exhibits excellent CO2 sequestration capacity (i.e., 14.4 kg·t−1 in maximum amount of CO2 sequestration). According to the analysis of carbon sequestration potential, in China, the annual production of FA, CS, and RM is approximately 899, 30, and 107 Mt, respectively in the year of 2023. The utilization of FA, CS, and RM individually can achieve carbon emission reductions of 3.42, 10.78, and 0.61 Mt, respectively. The composite solid waste (FA–CS–RM) mineralized with CO2 can achieve 1.23 Mt in carbon emissions reduction. Additionally, taking Yellow River Basin of China as a case study, the total volume of underground space in coal mine goafs from 2016 to 2030 is estimated at 8.16 Gm3, indicating that this technology can sequester 0.18 Gt of CO2. This approach offers a promising solution for large-scale flue gas CO2 sequestration, recycling coal-based solid wastes, and remediating coal mine goafs, contributing to green utilization of coal and the emission reduction of carbon.

  • Article
    Rukuan Chai, Qianqian Ma, Sepideh Goodarzi, Foo Yoong Yow, Branko Bijeljic, Martin J. Blunt

    Geological CO2 storage is a promising strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions; however, its underlying multiphase reactive flow mechanisms remain poorly understood. We conducted steady-state imbibition relative permeability experiments on sandstone from a proposed storage site, complemented by in situ X-ray imaging and ex situ analyses using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Despite our use of a brine that was pre-equilibrated with CO2, there was a significant reduction in both CO2 relative permeability and absolute permeability during multiphase flow due to chemical reactions. This reduction was driven by decreased pore and throat sizes, diminished connectivity, and increased irregularity of pore and throat shapes, as revealed by in situ pore-scale imaging. Mineral dissolution, primarily of feldspar, albite, and calcite, along with precipitation resulting from feldspar-to-kaolinite transformation and fines migration, were identified as contributing factors through SEM–EDS analysis. This work provides a benchmark for storage in mineralogically complex sandstones, for which the impact of chemical reactions on multiphase flow properties has been measured.

  • Article
    Jinzhou Zhao, Lele Wang, Bing Wei, Valeriy Kadet
    Cyclic injection holds great potential for CO2 emission reduction coupled with enhanced unconventional oil recovery. There is, however, a lack of a thorough understanding of carbon distribution, migration, and transformation underground over time at the reservoir scale. To address this issue, we conducted a rigorous numerical simulation integrating microseismic events, multi-geomechanics, and multi-geochemistry to represent the complex fracture geometry, rock stress sensitivity, and CO2-oil-brine-rock interactions. The fluid model, reservoir model, and geochemical reaction kinetics were carefully validated and calibrated using experimental data. The performance of CO2 utilization and geological storage was comprehensively investigated in terms of changes in oil production, CO2 storage, carbon distribution, and petrophysical properties. The results indicate that 48.3% of the injected CO2 was stored stably underground after ten cycles (ten years), with a 3.4% increase in oil recovery. The presence of multiple CO2 storage forms, such as dissolved in water and mineralized carbonate, impeded CO2-oil interaction, leading to a 25.9% reduction in the volume of the CO2-oil mixing zone and a 2.2% decrease in cumulative oil production, albeit with a 7.7% increase in the storage rate. The cyclic injection mode had a significant impact on the migration and transformation of CO2 in the reservoir. While dissolved CO2 in oil accounted for over half of the total storage, it had the possibility of being released during production. After ten cycles, 20% of the injected CO2 (approximately 12 000 t) reached long-term storage in four forms: mineralized carbonate (6%), water-dissolved CO2 (6%), aqueous ions (4%), and trapped gas (4%). Notably, the non-fracture zone within the stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) served as the primary trapping area for residual gas. This work provides valuable insights into dynamic CO2 transport and transformation processes under cyclic injection and presents a more comprehensive and precise framework for assessing CO2 capture, utilization, and storage with enhanced oil recovery (CCUS-EOR) performance in unconventional reservoirs after fracturing.
  • Article
    Xiangzeng Wang,Hong Yang,Yongjie Huang,Quansheng Liang,Jing Liu,Dongqing Ye
    Understanding the storage mechanisms in CO2 flooding is crucial, as many carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) projects are related to enhanced oil recovery (EOR). CO2 storage in reservoirs across large timescales undergoes the two storage stages of oil displacement and well shut-in, which cover multiple replacement processes of injection–production synchronization, injection only with no production, and injection–production stoppage. Because the controlling mechanism of CO2 storage in different stages is unknown, the evolution of CO2 storage mechanisms over large timescales is not understood. A mathematical model for the evaluation of CO2 storage, including stratigraphic, residual, solubility, and mineral trapping in low-permeability tight sandstone reservoirs, was established using experimental and theoretical analyses. Based on a detailed geological model of the Huaziping oilfield, calibrated with reservoir permeability and fracture characteristic parameters obtained from well test results, a dynamic simulation of CO2 storage for the entire reservoir life cycle under two scenarios of continuous injection and water–gas alternation were considered. The results show that CO2 storage exhibits the significant stage characteristics of complete storage, dynamic storage, and stable storage. The CO2 storage capacity and storage rate under the continuous gas injection scenario (scenario 1) were 6.34 × 104 t and 61%, while those under the water–gas alternation scenario (scenario 2) were 4.62 × 104 t and 46%. The proportions of storage capacity under scenarios 1 and 2 for structural or stratigraphic, residual, solubility, and mineral trapping were 33.36%, 33.96%, 32.43%, and 0.25%; and 15.09%, 38.65%, 45.77%, and 0.49%, respectively. The evolution of the CO2 storage mechanism showed an overall trend: stratigraphic and residual trapping first increased and then decreased, whereas solubility trapping gradually decreased, and mineral trapping continuously increased. Based on these results, an evolution diagram of the CO2 storage mechanism of low-permeability tight sandstone reservoirs across large timescales was established.
  • Article
    Siwei Meng,Fengyuan Zhang,Jiaping Tao,Xu Jin,Jianchun Xu,He Liu
    The development of shale reservoirs is important in ensuring China’s national energy security by achieving energy independence. Among the key technologies for shale oil production, CO2 fracturing is an effective method that can not only enhance oil recovery but also promote large amounts of CO2 storage, thereby supporting China’s goals of achieving a carbon peak and carbon neutrality. This research paper aims to study the impacts and prospective applications of CO2 fracturing in shale reservoirs, using real exploitation parameters from the GYYP1 well in the Songliao Basin. By utilizing numerical simulation, the dynamics of CO2 production are analyzed. Adsorption and diffusion are identified as pivotal mechanisms for CO2 storage in shale reservoirs. After the analysis of the fracturing process, approximately 22.13% of CO2 is found to be adsorbed, which decreases to 11.06% after ten years due to pressure decline. Diffusion increases the volume of CO2 interacting with a greater extent of shale, thereby enhancing the adsorption mechanism. Over time, the diffusion process results in a remarkable increase of 26.02% in CO2 adsorption, ensuring the long-term and stable storage of CO2 within the shale reservoir. This investigation delves into the contribution of these two crucial mechanisms of CO2 storage in shale reservoirs, ultimately predicting that, by 2030, approximately two million tons of CO2 can be effectively stored in the Daqing Oilfield through CO2 fracturing in shale oil reservoirs. Such an achievement will undoubtedly contribute to the sustainable development of the energy sector and foster the transformation and upgrading of China’s energy structure.
  • Article
    Lin Du, Yao-Yu Xiao, Zhi-Chao Jiang, Hongbo Zeng, Huazhou Li

    CO2-responsive gels, which swell upon contact with CO2, are widely used for profile control to plug high-permeability gas flow channels in carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) applications in oil reservoirs. However, the use of these gels in high-temperature CCUS applications is limited due to their reversible swelling behavior at elevated temperatures. In this study, a novel dispersed particle gel (DPG) suspension is developed for high-temperature profile control in CCUS applications. First, we synthesize a double-network hydrogel consisting of a crosslinked polyacrylamide (PAAm) network and a crosslinked sodium alginate (SA) network. The hydrogel is then sheared in water to form a pre-prepared DPG suspension. To enhance its performance, the gel particles are modified by introducing potassium methylsilanetriolate (PMS) upon CO2 exposure. Comparing the particle size distributions of the modified and pre-prepared DPG suspension reveals a significant swelling of gel particles, over twice their original size. Moreover, subjecting the new DPG suspension to a 100 °C environment for 24 h demonstrates that its gel particle sizes do not decrease, confirming irreversible swelling, which is a significant advantage over the traditional CO2-responsive gels. Thermogravimetric analysis further indicates improved thermal stability compared to the pre-prepared DPG particles. Core flooding experiments show that the new DPG suspension achieves a high plugging efficiency of 95.3% in plugging an ultra-high permeability sandpack, whereas the pre-prepared DPG suspension achieves only 82.8%. With its high swelling ratio, irreversible swelling at high temperatures, enhanced thermal stability, and superior plugging performance, the newly developed DPG suspension in this work presents a highly promising solution for profile control in high-temperature CCUS applications.

  • Article
    Ying Zhu, Jingjing Liu, Guangzhi He, Shaohua Xie, Wenpo Shan, Zhihua Lian, Fudong Liu, Hong He

    Catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability are both crucial for the application of the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 (NH3-SCR catalyst) in diesel vehicles. In this study, a tin (Sn)-modified Ce–Nb mixed-oxide catalyst was synthesized as an NH3-SCR catalyst for NOx emission control. After the introduction of Sn, both the NH3-SCR activity and the hydrothermal stability of the catalyst were remarkably promoted. Even after hydrothermal aging at 1000 °C, the developed Ce1Sn2Nb1Ox catalyst achieved more than 90% NOx conversion at 325–500 °C. Various methods, including N2-physisorption, X-ray diffraction, in-situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy, temperature-programmed reduction of hydrogen, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, and density functional theory calculations were used to investigate the promotional effects induced by the Sn species. The characterization results showed that the addition of Sn not only promoted the formation of the Ce–Nb active phase but also improved its thermal stability, contributing to the excellent NH3-SCR performance and hydrothermal stability. This study provides an excellent sintering-resistance catalyst for the application of diesel engine NOx emission control.

  • Article
    Shu-Fang Zhang, Yu-Hui Li, Rui-Xian Zhang, Bing-Zhi Li, Qing Wang

    At present, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification-based file retrieval method is the most commonly used and effective means of DNA file retrieval. The number of orthogonal primers limits the number of files that can be accurately accessed, which in turn affects the density in a single oligo pool of digital DNA storage. In this paper, a multi-mode DNA sequence design method based on PCR file retrieval in a single oligonucleotide pool is proposed for high-capacity DNA data storage. Firstly, by analyzing the maximum number of orthogonal primers at each predicted primer length, it was found that the relationship between primer length and the maximum available primer number does not increase linearly, and the maximum number of orthogonal primers is on the order of 104. Next, this paper analyzes the maximum address space capacity of DNA sequences with different types of primer binding sites for file mapping. In the case where the capacity of the primer library is $\mathbb{R}$ (where $\mathbb{R}$ is even), the number of address spaces that can be mapped by the single-primer DNA sequence design scheme proposed in this paper is four times that of the previous one, and the two-level primer DNA sequence design scheme can reach $\left[\frac{\mathbb{R}}{2} \bullet\left(\frac{\mathbb{R}}{2}-1\right)\right]^{2}$ times. Finally, a multi-mode DNA sequence generation method is designed based on the number of files to be stored in the oligonucleotide pool, in order to meet the requirements of the random retrieval of target files in an oligonucleotide pool with large-scale file numbers. The performance of the primers generated by the orthogonal primer library generator proposed in this paper is verified, and the average Gibbs free energy of the most stable heterodimer formed between the orthogonal primers produced is -1 kcal∙(mol∙L−1)−1 (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ). At the same time, by selectively PCR-amplifying the DNA sequences of the two-level primer binding sites for random access, the target sequence can be accurately read with a minimum of 103 reads, when the primer binding site sequences at different positions are mutually different. This paper provides a pipeline for orthogonal primer library generation and multi-mode mapping schemes between files and primers, which can help achieve precise random access to files in large-scale DNA oligo pools.

  • Article
    Ying Juan Lu, Jia Nan Zhang, Yi Han Zhao, Jun Wei Zhang, Zhen Zhang, Rui Zhe Jiang, Jing Cheng Liang, Hui Dong Li, Jun Yan Dai, Tie Jun Cui, Qiang Cheng

    With digital coding technology, reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) become powerful real-time systems for manipulating electromagnetic (EM) waves. However, most automatic RIS designs involve extensive numerical simulations of the unit, including the passive pattern and active devices, requiring high data acquisition and training costs. In addition, for passive patterns, the widely employed random pixelated method presents design efficiency and effectiveness challenges due to the massive pixel combinations and blocked excitation current flow in discrete patterns. To overcome these two critical problems, we propose a versatile RIS design paradigm with efficient topology representation and a separate design architecture. First, a non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) is introduced to represent continuous patterns and solve excitation current flow issues. This representation makes it possible to finely tune continuous patterns with several control points, greatly reducing the pattern solution space by 20-fold and facilitating RIS optimization. Then, employing multiport network theory to separate the passive pattern and active device from the unit, the separate design architecture significantly reduces the dataset acquisition cost by 62.5%. Through multistep multiport calculation, the multistate EM responses of the RIS under different structural combinations can be quickly obtained with only one prediction of pattern response, thereby achieving dataset and model reuse for different RIS designs. With a hybrid continuous-discrete optimization algorithm, three examples—including two typical high-performance RISs and an ultra-wideband multilayer RIS—are provided to validate the superiority of our paradigm. Our work offers an efficient solution for RIS automatic design, and the resulting structure is expected to boost RIS applications in the fields of wireless communication and sensing.

  • Article
    Yujie You, Kan Tan, Zekun Jiang, Le Zhang

    As a common foodborne pathogen, Salmonella poses risks to public health safety, common given the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant strains. However, there is currently a lack of systematic platforms based on large language models (LLMs) for Salmonella resistance prediction, data presentation, and data sharing. To overcome this issue, we firstly propose a two-step feature-selection process based on the chi-square test and conditional mutual information maximization to find the key Salmonella resistance genes in a pan-genomics analysis and develop an LLM-based Salmonella antimicrobial-resistance predictive (SARPLLM) algorithm to achieve accurate antimicrobial-resistance prediction, based on Qwen2 LLM and low-rank adaptation. Secondly, we optimize the time complexity to compute the sample distance from the linear to logarithmic level by constructing a quantum data augmentation algorithm denoted as QSMOTEN. Thirdly, we build up a user-friendly Salmonella antimicrobial-resistance predictive online platform based on knowledge graphs, which not only facilitates online resistance prediction for users but also visualizes the pan-genomics analysis results of the Salmonella datasets.

  • Review
    Rui Gao,Shu-Hong Gao,Jun Li,Yiyi Su,Fang Huang,Bin Liang,Lu Fan,Jianhua Guo,Aijie Wang
    Biological contaminants (BCs), including but not limited to various pathogens and their endogenous pollutants such as intracellular pathogens and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), are ubiquitously detected in effluent of wastewater and drinking water treatment systems which were originally designed to remove common indicator bacteria, resulting in potential impacts on public health. Although there are many emerging technologies that showing promising antimicrobial effects, few have progressed to the actual water scenarios. It’s crucial to understand the main knowledge gaps and thereby design the future developments to better meet engineering requirements. In this review, we first summarize the performance of conventional water treatment towards BCs removal. Then we showcase the advances of proof-of-concept strategies, including nanotechnology, advanced oxidation process, biological control process and integrated techniques, for BCs control in light of antimicrobial mechanisms, characteristics, proper niches in water treatment, challenges and latest improvements. Further, we proposed a semi-quantitative framework coupling life cycle assessment (LCA) and analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to assess and compare the application potential of representative pilot technologies, in which the antimicrobial effects, economic issues and sustainability are comprehensively considered. For wastewater treatment, non-thermal plasma weights highest among the emerging technologies and outperforms conventional disinfection in terms of efficacy indicators (overall inactivation rate, ARGs removal rate and growth inhibition), but fall behind overall mainly due to more energy input. Bacteriophage-based treatment has the potential to synergistically inactive the persistent pathogens in combination with conventional disinfection, serving as a cost-effective and environmental-friendly supplement. For drinking water treatment, the integrated photocatalytic nanocomposite receives the highest application potential among the emerging technologies and appears to be supplementary or even alternative next-generation disinfectants. This review shares valuable insights to propel the proof-of-concept antimicrobial trials towards industrial procedures.
  • Article
    Fawei Lin, Hongyun Yao, Chujun Luan, Chenxu Zhong, Huiyi Mao, Lei Che, Hongdi Yu, Guanyi Chen, Eslam Salama, Mona Ossman, Li’an Hou

    Efficient disposal of oily water pollution and oily sludge (OS) production with low energy demand has garnered significant attention for the low carbon transition of the petroleum industry. How to overcome the hardships from severe emulsion and interaction with soil minerals in emulsion–soil (OS) is a significant challenge with the prospective opportunities of solar energy substitution. This paper proposed the solar-driven photothermal conversion technology for efficient dehydration of OS and purification of oily water using a multifunctional material. A biomass-based carbon aerogel (BCA-600) with a porous three-dimensional structure and photothermal conversion characteristics was synthesized. Interestingly, this carbon aerogel possessed adjustable surface wettability, enabling it to adsorb high viscosity crude oil on the water surface (4.28 g·g−1) and achieve demulsification-separation in water-in-oil emulsions (97.28%) with the assistance of solar irradiation. Accordingly, the synergistic action of solar heating and separation-adsorption of emulsion by BCA-600 contributed to the efficient photothermal dehydration for both OS and emulsion. The highest dehydration efficiency for OS reached 90.68% with the OS/BCA-600 mass ratio of 10:2. Moreover, BCA-600 could remain in the dehydrated OS without separation to participate in the following pyrolysis with enhanced effects by confined-catalytic cracking, achieving a “one stone, two birds” effect. Overall, the solar photothermal approach exhibits significant potential for treating oily pollutants, reducing carbon emissions by more than 100 times compared to traditional thermal methods. This could be a strong push for the low carbon transition of the petroleum industry.

  • Article
    Fan Ding, Xiwen Luo, Zhigang Zhang, Lian Hu, Xinluo Wu, Kaiyuan Bao, Jiarui Zhang, Bingxuan Yuan, Wenyu Zhang

    To achieve an unmanned rice farm, in this study, a cotransporter system was developed using a tracked rice harvester and transporter for autonomous harvesting, unloading, and transportation. Additionally, two unloading and transportation modes—harvester waiting for unloading (HWU) and transporter following for unloading (TFU)--were proposed, and a harvesting-unloading-transportation (HUT) strategy was defined. By breaking down the main stages of the collaborative operation, designing Module-state machines (MSMs), and constructing state-transition chains, a HUT collaborative operation logic framework suitable for the embedded navigation controller was designed using the concept and method of the finite-state machine (FSM). This method addresses the multiple-stage, nonsequential, and complex processes in HUT collaborative operations. Simulations and field-harvesting experiments were performed to evaluate the applicability of this proposed strategy and system. The experimental results showed that the HUT collaborative operation strategy effectively integrated path planning, path-tracking control, inter-vehicle communication, collaborative operation control, and implementation control. The cotransporter system completed the entire process of harvesting, unloading, and transportation. The field-harvesting experiment revealed that a harvest efficiency of 0.42 hm2∙h−1 was achieved. This study can provide insight into collaborative harvesting and solutions for the harvesting process of unmanned farms.

  • Review
    Yanan Xue, Junping Zhou, Ying Lu, Huiling Zhang, Bailin Chen, Shaoan Dong, Yawen Xue, Kan Zhan, Cheng Chen, Yi Sun, Sufan Wu, Liqun Jin, Zhiqiang Liu, Yuguo Zheng

    Diabetic wounds (DWs) are a major complication of diabetes mellitus, characterized by a complex pathophysiological microenvironment that is associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. Conventional management strategies often fail to address the multifaceted nature of these wounds effectively. Recent advancements in understanding the mechanisms of DW healing have spurred the development of a plethora of bioactive dressings designed to interact with and modulate the DW microenvironment. These innovations have culminated in the introduction of the “microenvironment-sensitive with on-demand management” paradigm aimed at delivering precision therapy responsive to dynamic changes within DW. Despite these advancements, the current literature lacks a comprehensive review that categorizes and evaluates active, passive, and on-demand approaches that address the DW microenvironment. Herein, we describe the unique pathogenic mechanisms and microenvironmental characteristics that distinguish DW from normal acute wounds. This review provides an extensive overview of contemporary active and passive management strategies incorporating on-demand management principles designed for DW microenvironments. Furthermore, it addresses the principal challenges faced in this therapeutic domain and outlines the potential innovations that can enhance the efficacy and specificity of bioactive dressings. The insights presented here aim to guide further research and development in the on-demand management of DW to improve patient outcomes by aligning personalized therapy modalities with the pathophysiological realities of DW.

  • Article
    Chenran Wang, Lin Tan, Maohua Huang, Yuning Lin, Minxiang Cai, Lijuan Deng, Xinpeng Hu, Shenghui Qiu, Xiaoting Chen, Yiming Zhang, Xiaomei Luo, Changzheng Shi, Minfeng Chen, Wencai Ye, Junqiu Zhang, Dongmei Zhang, Xiangning Liu

    Metabolic reprogramming reshapes the tumor microenvironment (TME) and facilitates metastasis, but its molecular mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here, we identified enolase 2 (ENO2), a critical glycolytic enzyme, as being associated with lymphatic metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Mechanistically, phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP), the metabolite secreted by ENO2-expressing HNSCC cells, drove histone H3 lysine 18 lactylation (H3K18la)-mediated M2 polarization in macrophages, which, in turn, enhanced the epithelial–mesenchymal (EMT) transition and invasiveness of HNSCC cells. Pharmacological inhibition of ENO2 with POMHEX effectively reversed M2 macrophage polarization and inhibited HNSCC lymphatic metastasis. Collectively, our findings underscore the prognostic significance of ENO2 and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for metastatic HNSCC. Furthermore, we reveal a previously underappreciated role of PEP in modulating the tumor immune microenvironment and tumor metastasis via epigenetic modification.

  • Article
    Yi Jiao, Zhaoran Wang, Wenya Diao, Qishun Geng, Xing Wang, Xiaoxue Cao, Tong Shi, Jiahe Xu, Lu Zhao, Zihan Wang, Tiantian Deng, Lei Yang, Tingting Deng, Cheng Xiao

    Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive autoimmune disease characterized by bone destruction that is primarily caused by the overactivation of osteoclasts (OCs), which are critical therapeutic targets. Triptolide (TP) has strong anti-RA effects but is limited by its narrow therapeutic window and associated toxicity, necessitating combination therapy to increase its efficacy and reduce side effects. Medicarpin (Med), a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and anti-bone destruction properties, has shown potential in reducing osteoclastogenesis. However, the mechanisms underlying the synergistic effects of TP and Med on RA treatment remain unclear. We addressed this issue by evaluating the effects of TP, Med, and their combination on a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model, with a focus on bone erosion as the primary research endpoint. We subsequently performed experimental validation in an in vitro OC differentiation model to assess the impacts of these treatments on OC formation and function. Based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) microarray data from RA patients, further investigations focused on N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation and its regulatory factors, methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) and YT521-B homology domain family protein 1 (YTHDF1), which have been identified as potential targets of TP and Med. Key findings revealed that the TP and Med combination significantly alleviated bone destruction and inhibited OC differentiation, exerting stronger effects at lower doses than either drug alone. Mechanistically, TP and Med synergistically modulated METTL3 and YTHDF1 to suppress osteoclastogenesis through distinct m6A methylation pathways, contributing to the mitigation of RA-associated bone destruction. Overall, our data highlight the potential of the m6A modification as a therapeutic mechanism for the combined use of TP and Med for RA treatment, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical application of herbal active ingredient combinations.

  • Article
    Ya Liu, Jianghai Xia, Bo Guan, Chaoqiang Xi, Ling Ning, Hao Zhang

    Dense-array ambient noise tomography is a powerful tool for achieving high-resolution subsurface imaging, significantly impacting geohazard prevention and control. Conventional dense-array studies, however, require simultaneous observations of numerous stations for extensive coverage. To conduct a comprehensive karst feature investigation with limited stations, we designed a new synchronous–asynchronous observation system that facilitates dense array observations. We conducted two rounds of asynchronous observations, each lasting approximately 24 h, in combination with synchronous backbone stations. We achieved wide-ranging coverage of the study area utilizing 197 nodal receivers, with an average station spacing of 7 m. The beamforming results revealed distinct variations in the noise source distributions between day and night. We estimated the source strength in the stationary phase zone and used a weighting scheme for stacking the cross-correlation functions (C1 functions) to suppress the influence of nonuniform noise source distributions. The weights were derived from the similarity coefficients between multicomponent C1 functions related to Rayleigh waves. We employed the cross-correlation of C1 functions (C2 methods) to obtain the empirical Green’s functions between asynchronous stations. To eliminate artifacts in C2 functions from higher-mode surface waves in C1 functions, we filtered the C1 functions on the basis of different particle motions linked to multimode Rayleigh waves. The dispersion measurements of Rayleigh waves obtained from both the C1 and C2 functions were utilized in surface wave tomography. The inverted three-dimensional (3D) shear-wave (S-wave) velocity model reveals two significant low-velocity zones at depths ranging from 40 to 60 m, which align well with the karst caves found in the drilling data. The method of short-term synchronous–asynchronous ambient noise tomography shows promise as a cost-effective and efficient approach for urban geohazard investigations.

  • Article
    Yang Zhao, Xinyu Chen, Peng Liu, Chris P. Nielsen, Michael B. McElroy

    In China, electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging power has quadrupled in the past five years, progressing toward 10-minute ultrafast charging. This rapid increase raises concerns about the impact on the power grid including increased peak power demand and the need for substantial upgrades to power infrastructure. Here, we introduce an integrated model to assess fast and ultrafast charging impacts for representative charging stations in China, combining real-world charging patterns and detailed station optimization models. We find that larger stations with 12 or more chargers experience modest peak power increases of less than 30% when fast-charging power is doubled, primarily because shorter charging sessions are less likely to overlap. For more typical stations (e.g., 8–9 chargers and 120 kW·charger−1), upgrading chargers to 350–550 kW while allowing managed dynamic waiting strategies (of ∼1 minute) can reduce overall charging times to ∼9 minutes. At stations, deploying battery storage and/or expanding transformers can help manage future increases in station loads, yet the primary device cost of the former is ∼4 times higher than that of the latter. Our results offer insights for charging infrastructure planning, EV-grid interactions, and associated policymaking.

  • Review
    Yujian An, Bingze He, Zhuochen Ma, Yao Guo, Guang-Zhong Yang

    Microassembly platforms have attracted significant attention recently because of their potential for developing microsystems and devices for a wide range of applications. Despite their considerable potential, existing techniques are mainly used in laboratory research settings. This review provides an overview of the fundamentals, techniques, and applications of microassemblies. Manipulation techniques based on magnetic, optical, and acoustic fields and mechanical systems are discussed, and control systems that rely on machine vision and force feedback are introduced. Additionally, recent applications of microassemblies in microstructure fabrication, microelectromechanical operation, and biomedical engineering are examined. This review also highlights unmet technical demands and emerging trends, as well as new research opportunities in this expanding field of research driven by allied technologies such as micro-robotics.