An efficient method of preparing Si-Fe-Al-Ca alloy from coal gasification fine slag via plasma smelting and alternating current magnetic field.

It is of great significance to solve the environmental problems caused by the unreasonable treatment of coal gasification slag. This study successfully produced Si-Fe-Al-Ca alloy from low-carbon fine slag with petroleum coke as reducing agent in a plasma furnace with an alternating current magnetic field, which solved the problem of the high reactivity requirement of carbon reductant for plasma smelting. The optimum carbon content of the mixed low-carbon fine slag and petroleum coke is 105% of the theoretical value. As the strength of the alternating current magnetic field increased (from 0% to 100% of the maximum power), the yield of the alloy (from 25.46% to 58.19%) and the recovery ratios of each element (Si, Fe, Al, Ca, Ti) increased. In addition, as the magnetic field strength increased, the pores inside the alloy became smaller, the composition of the alloy became more homogeneous, and a better separation of the alloy from the slag was observed. The main composition of the alloy at the strongest alternating current magnetic field is Si: 51.14 wt%, Fe: 28.41 wt%, Al: 9.14 wt%, Ca: 7.15 wt%, Ti: 2.03 wt%. We attribute the enhanced smelting effect of the alternating current magnetic field to the resistive heat and Lorentz force produced by the induced current. In addition, the skin effect concentrated the induced current on the surface of the oxide particles and carbon particles, which increased the temperature of the reaction interface and promoted the carbothermal reduction reaction.

Cystine deprivation triggers CD36-mediated ferroptosis and dysfunction of tumor infiltrating CD8+ T cells.

Cancer cells develop multiple strategies to evade T cell-mediated killing. On one hand, cancer cells may preferentially rely on certain amino acids for rapid growth and metastasis. On the other hand, sufficient nutrient availability and uptake are necessary for mounting an effective T cell anti-tumor response in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here we demonstrate that tumor cells outcompete T cells for cystine uptake due to high Slc7a11 expression. This competition induces T-cell exhaustion and ferroptosis, characterized by diminished memory formation and cytokine secretion, increased PD-1 and TIM-3 expression, as well as intracellular oxidative stress and lipid-peroxide accumulation. Importantly, either Slc7a11 deletion in tumor cells or intratumoral cystine supplementation improves T cell anti-tumor immunity. Mechanistically, cystine deprivation in T cells disrupts glutathione synthesis, but promotes CD36 mediated lipid uptake due to dysregulated cystine/glutamate exchange. Moreover, enforced expression of glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (Gclc) promotes glutathione synthesis and prevents CD36 upregulation, thus boosting T cell anti-tumor immunity. Our findings reveal cystine as an intracellular metabolic checkpoint that orchestrates T-cell survival and differentiation, and highlight Gclc as a potential therapeutic target for enhancing T cell anti-tumor function.

Effects of Bradyrhizobium Co-Inoculated with Bacillus and Paenibacillus on the Structure and Functional Genes of Soybean Rhizobacteria Community.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are widely used to improve soil nutrients and promote plant growth and health. However, the growth-promoting effect of a single PGPR on plants is limited. Here, we evaluated the effect of applying rhizobium Bradyrhizobium japonicum 5038 (R5038) and two PGPR strains, Bacillus aryabhattai MB35-5 (BA) and Paenibacillus mucilaginosus 3016 (PM), alone or in different combinations on the soil properties and rhizosphere bacterial community composition of soybean (Glycine max). Additionally, metagenomic sequencing was performed to elucidate the profile of functional genes. Inoculation with compound microbial inoculant containing R5038 and BA (RB) significantly improved nodule nitrogenase activity and increased soil nitrogen content, and urease activity increased the abundance of the nitrogen cycle genes and Betaproteobacteria and Chitinophagia in the rhizosphere. In the treatment of inoculant-containing R5038 and PM (RP), significant changes were found for the abundance of Deltaproteobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes and the phosphorus cycle genes, and soil available phosphorus and phosphatase activity were increased. The RBP inoculants composed of three strains (R5038, BA and PM) significantly affected soybean biomass and the N and P contents of the rhizosphere. Compared with RB and RP, RBP consistently increased soybean nitrogen content, and dry weight. Overall, these results showed that several PGPR with different functions could be combined into composite bacterial inoculants, which coordinately modulate the rhizosphere microbial community structure and improve soybean growth.

Preparation of Al-Si alloys with silicon cutting waste from diamond wire sawing process.

Large amounts of silicon cutting waste (SCW) are generated during Si wafers producing process. In this paper, SCW was mixed with Al powder to prepare Al-Si alloys by a one-step smelting process in corundum crucibles. The influences of smelting temperature (1000 °C, 1200 °C and 1500 °C) on the products of each zone (surface layer zone, loose granular zone and blocky products zone) were investigated. Al-Si alloys in the form of granular and blocky were prepared and the blocky Al-Si alloys mainly concentrated in the blocky products zone. The increase of smelting temperature can promote the aggregation of Al-Si alloy particles. The yields of Al-Si alloy blocks obtained at 1000 °C, 1200 °C and 1500 °C were 0%, 58% and 69%, respectively. The Si contents of Al-Si alloy blocks at 1200 °C and 1500 °C were 15.8 wt% and 17.1 wt% respectively. After compacting the raw materials, the yields of the blocky Al-Si alloys obtained at 1000 °C, 1200 °C and 1500 °C were increased to 65%, 72% and 79% and the corresponding Si contents of the blocky Al-Si alloys were increased to 16.0 wt%, 16.5 wt% and 17.3 wt% respectively. The reaction mechanism of the alloying process was also investigated.

Recovery and reutilization of high-quality boron carbide from sapphire wafer grinding-waste.

Considerable amounts of high-quality boron carbide (B4C) are discarded as J240 sapphire-wafer grinding waste (J240-W), which can be mostly recovered and reutilized after purification for environmental protection. This paper has developed a feasibility method that simultaneously removes the alumina (Al2O3) and iron (Fe) impurities from J240-W with microwave-assisted acid leaching strategy. The influence factors on the Al2O3 leaching ratio, such as leaching temperature, sulfuric acid concentration, liquid-solid ratio and time, have been investigated and optimized. For comparison, the leaching of Al2O3 with conventional and ultrasound-assisted methods has also been performed. The result indicates that the Al2O3 leaching ratio at 80 °C with microwave assistance is 68.95%, much higher than that of conventional (23.66%) and ultrasound (53.13%) methods. Attributed to the unique heating mode of microwave, the Al2O3 leaching ratio can rise to 95.28% at optimum condition, while the content of purified B4C can reach to 98.22% with the residual Al2O3 and Fe fall to 0.26% and 0.12%, respectively. The recovered B4C with high purity and suitable particle size can be reutilized to manufacture W5 abrasive and W0.5 armor material, which is beneficial for environmental protection and resources reutilization.