Electroosmosis is a fascinating effect where liquid motion is induced by an applied electric field. Counter ions accumulate in the vicinity of charged surfaces, triggering a coupling between liquid mass transport and external electric field. In nanofluidic technologies, where surfaces play an exacerbated role, electroosmosis is thus of primary importance. Its consequences on transport properties in biological and synthetic nanopores are subtle and intricate. Thorough understanding is therefore challenging yet crucial to fully assess the mechanisms at play. Here, we review recent progress on computational techniques for the analysis of electroosmosis and discuss technological applications, in particular for nanopore sensing devices. Graphical Abstract

The European Union's recycling objectives of 50 % for packaging by 2025 and 55 % by 2030 are still far from the current recycling rate of 37.8 %. Thermochemical recycling via pyrolysis might improve recovery rates, especially for challenging post-consumer dirty and contaminated plastics. Many studies focus on the pyrolysis of virgin plastics and artificial mixtures of these plastics to simulate real-world mixed plastic waste scenarios. This study examines a sample of pre-sorting waste from an Italian composting plant to represent real plastic mixtures within the collection chain. This waste contains plastics, organics, paper, and others, with plastics making up 72.18 % of the sample, primarily identified as LDPE, PP, and HDPE. The plastics were tested individually and as a mixture, mirroring the concentrations observed within the original sample, in a bench-scale semi-batch reactor at varying temperatures (420 °C, 470 °C, and 520 °C) and residence times. The analysis indicated that temperature and residence time considerably influence product yields and composition, although temperature has a more dominant effect. Wax analysis showed paraffins and olefins as the primary components, with a peak carbon number distribution in the C₁₄-C₁₉ range at elevated temperatures. Contaminant analysis of wax identified substantial levels of halogens and metals, posing challenges for downstream processes. Results from the mixture tests revealed that the product yields of individual polymers could be predicted as a linear combination of their behaviors, with an accuracy within a 10 % margin of error across the examined temperature range and lower residence times.

The last Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) assessment report highlighted how actions to reduce CO₂ emissions have not been effective so far to achieve the 1.5 C limit and that radical measures are required. Solutions such as the upgrading of waste biomass, the power-to-X paradigm, and an innovative energy carrier such as hydrogen can make an effective contribution to the transition toward a low-carbon energy system. In this context, the aim of this study is to improve the hydrogen production process from wet residual biomass by examining the advantages of an innovative integration of anaerobic digestion with thermochemical transformation processes. Furthermore, this solution is integrated into a hybrid power supply composed of an electric grid and a photovoltaic plant (PV), supported by a thermal energy storage (TES) system. Both the performance of the plant and its input energy demand—splitting the power request between the photovoltaic system and the national grid—are carefully assessed by a Simulink/Simscape model. The preliminary evaluation shows that the plant has good performance in terms of hydrogen yields, reaching 5.37% kg_H2/kg_biomass, which is significantly higher than the typical value of a single process (approximately 3%). This finding demonstrates a good synergy between the biological and thermochemical biomass valorization routes. Moreover, thermal energy storage significantly improves the conversion plant’s independence, almost halving the energy demand from the grid.