Monitoring stations have been established to combat water pollution, improve the ecosystem, promote human health, and facilitate drinking water production. However, continuous and extensive monitoring of water is costly and time-consuming, resulting in limited datasets and hindering water management research. This study focuses on developing an optimized K-nearest neighbor (KNN) model using the improved grey wolf optimization (I-GWO) algorithm to predict dry residue quantities. The model incorporates 20 physical and chemical parameters derived from a dataset of 400 samples. Cross-validation is employed to assess model performance, optimize parameters, and mitigate the risk of overfitting. Four folds are created, and each fold is optimized using 11 distance metrics and their corresponding weighting functions to determine the best model configuration. Among the evaluated models, the Jaccard distance metric with inverse squared weighting function consistently demonstrates the best performance in terms of statistical errors and coefficients for each fold. By averaging predictions from the models in the four folds, an estimation of the overall model performance is obtained. The resulting model exhibits high efficiency, with remarkably low errors reflected in the values of R, R², R²_ADJ, RMSE, and EPM, which are reported as 0.9979, 0.9958, 0.9956, 41.2639, and 3.1061, respectively. This study reveals a compelling non-linear correlation between physico-chemical water attributes and the content of dry tailings, indicating the ability to accurately predict dry tailing quantities. By employing the proposed methodology to enhance water quality models, it becomes possible to overcome limitations in water quality management and significantly improve the precision of predictions regarding critical water parameters.

In this research, amphiphilic derivatives of kappa carrageenan (KC) were synthesized by hydrophobic modification with an alkyl halide (1-Octyl chloride). Three hydrophobic polymers with different degrees of substitution (DS) were obtained by the Williamson etherification reaction in an alkaline medium. The effect of the molar ratio (R = reagent/polymer) on the DS was investigated at different ratios (1, 2, and 3). The KC derivatives (KCRs) were characterized by different techniques such as FT-IR, ¹H-NMR, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning electron microscopy, and a rheological assessment. The FT-IR and ¹HNMR analyses confirmed the binding of the hydrophobic groups onto the KC molecule. The degrees of substitution calculated by ¹H-NMR demonstrated that the derivative KCR3 (0.68) presented a higher degree of substitution compared to KCR1(0.45) and KCR2 (0.53). The XRD and SEM analyses revealed that the alkaline etherification conditions did not alter the morphological and crystallographic properties, as well as the rheological behavior of the obtained derivatives. The amphiphilic character of the KCRs was investigated using a conductivity method which revealed that the molecular aggregation occurred above the critical aggregation concentration (CAC). Decreasing CAC values of 0.15% (KCR1), 0.11% (KCR2) and 0.08% (KCR3)with the degree of substitution (DS) were found. Furthermore, KCR’s derivatives greatly improved the stability of oil/water emulsions as the droplet size decreased with increasing DS. The derivative (KCR3) with higher DS, showed a greater amphiphilic character, and improved emulsifying power.

The global context of research for new sustainable energy storage technologies makes it a very active sector with significant scientific and economic challenges. Indeed, due to the irregular development of renewable energies and the shutdown of traditional power facilities, it is difficult to maintain a stable balance in terms of supply and demand: energy storage can help in particular for substantial changes in the latter. Metal air batteries have a higher energy density and are safer than other available energy storage devices. Based on the existing and proven lead-acid battery technology, this paper proposed an open cell foam manufactured by the Excess Salt Replication process for use as an anode for lead-air battery cellsies with sulphuric acid as the electrolyte. This will save lead and reduce the battery weight. A 25% antimonial lead alloy was used to produce open cell foams with a cell diameter between 2 mm and 5 mm for the antimonial lead-air battery. Preliminary results of the effective electrical conductivity of self-discharged primary battery cells, measured experimentally, showed that all antimonial lead foam-air battery cellsies performed better than that made from the same dense non porous antimonial lead alloy. This is generally due to their important specific surface area where oxidation-reduction reactions took place. A correlation between the effective electrical conductivity and the cell diameter has been established and the highest conductivity was obtained with a cell diameter of 5mm. The feasibility of such an electrical system has been demonstrated.

The “excess salt replication process” is a new simple method of fabrication of open-cell metal foam based on the commonly known salt replication method. Porous materials with porosity between 46% and 66% result when the employed alloy is 25% antimonial lead alloy and when it is 58% to 65% zamak 5. These foams are proposed as structured catalysts instead of packed beds in the treatment of wastewater. The local regimes influencing macroscopic air flow behaviour through these foams are delimited and boundaries are analysed in terms of sample length. Most of the experimental tests in this work exhibited a general trend of air flow in ESR foams dominated by the “strong inertia regime”. It was established that the law governing the unidirectional air flow through these foams was the full cubic law. The permeability and inertia coefficient of five samples with a cell diameter between 2.5 and 4.5 mm were calculated, and an empirical correlation was fitted. The irregular cuboid shape of salt grains used in the ESR foam was the origin of the special cell form of ESR foams leading to an anisotropic ordered porous media. This can explain the macroscopic turbulence of air flow because there were many dead zones present in the corner of each cubic cell, thus causing kinetic energy loss starting at earlier regimes.

In the dynamic realm of sustainable energy storage technologies, the global research landscape presents myriad scientific and economic challenges. The erratic growth of renewable energies alongside the phasing out of conventional power plants poses a significant hurdle in maintaining a stable balance between energy supply and demand. Consequently, energy storage solutions play a pivotal role in mitigating substantial fluctuations in demand. Metal–air batteries, distinguished by their superior energy density and enhanced safety profile compared to other storage devices, emerge as promising solutions. Leveraging the well-established lead–acid battery technology, this study introduces a novel approach utilising open-cell foam manufactured through the Excess Salt Replication process as an anode for lead–air battery cells. This innovation not only conserves lead but also reduces battery weight. By employing a 25% antimonial lead alloy, open-cell foams with diameters ranging from 2 mm to 5 mm were fabricated for the antimonial lead–air battery. Preliminary findings suggest that the effective electrical conductivity of primary battery cells, measured experimentally, surpasses that of cells composed of the same dense, non-porous antimonial lead alloy. This improvement is primarily attributed to their extensive specific surface area, facilitating oxidation–reduction reactions. A correlation between effective electrical conductivity and cell diameter is established, indicating optimal conductivity achieved with a 5 mm cell diameter. These results underscore the feasibility of implementing such an electrical system.