Within the scope of a thermodynamic description using the maximum entropy production principle, transitions from one nonequilibrium (kinetic) regime to another are considered. It is shown that in the case when power-law dependencies of thermodynamic flux on force are similar for two regimes, only a transition accompanied by a positive jump of thermodynamic flux is possible between them. It is found that the difference in powers of the dependencies of thermodynamic fluxes on forces results in a number of interesting nonequilibrium transitions between kinetic regimes, including the reentrant one with a negative jump of thermodynamic flux.
The initial stage of interface instability upon radial displacement of a fluid in a Hele-Shaw cell is investigated. An air-silicone oil system is analyzed. The critical radii of stability relative to long-wave perturbations are determined. It is found that, in the investigated range of parameters, instability most often begins by a translational mechanism. It is ascertained that in the overwhelming majority of cases the critical radii of instability are smaller than the values predicted by the linear stability theory and external effects make this difference even greater. The obtained results are discussed and compared with the existing theories.
The role of phototrophs is examined in alternative energy, with the main emphasis on unicellular algae. Particular attention is paid to the use of phototrophs for generating electricity using biofuel cells (plant and enzymatic biofuel cells are discussed). This study focuses on microbial fuel cells (MFC), which, along with electric power, allow obtaining biofuels and biohydrogen. This article explains the factors limiting the MFC power, and ways of overcoming them. For example, it seems promising to develop various photobioreactors in order to reduce the loss of MFC power due to overvoltage. The use of microphototrophs in MFC has led to the development of photosynthetic MFC (or PhotoMFC) through the design of autotrophic photobioreactors with forced illumination. They allow generating oxygen through photosynthesis, both in situ and ex situ, by recirculating oxygen from the photobioreactor to the cathode chamber. Artificial redox mediators can be used here, transferring electrons directly from the non-catalytic cathode to O2, formed as a result of the photosynthetic activity of algae. Biologically catalyzed cathodes have been proven to generate less power than chemical catalysts. It is noted, that the MFC installations with the micro-algae allow utilizing a wider circle of different connections – the components of effluents and withdrawals: organic acids, sugar, alcohols, fats and other substrata. The use of phototrophs for the production of biofuels is of special interest. Several different types of renewable biofuels can be produced from microalgae, the production of which can be combined with wastewater treatment, CO2 capture and production of various compounds.
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