A low cost, with high performance, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) Ultra-wide Band (UWB) array sensor is presented to be applied with a technique of confocal radar-based microwave imaging to recognize a tumor in a human brain. RGO is used to form its patches on a Taconic substrate. The sensor functioned in a range of 1.2 to 10.8 GHz under UWB frequency. The sensor demonstrates high gain of 5.2 to 14.5 dB, with the small size of 90 mm × 45 mm², which can be easily integrated into microwave imaging systems and allow the best functionality. Moreover, the novel UWB RGO array sensor is established as a detector with a phantom of the human head. The layers’ structure represents liquid-imitating tissues that consist of skin, fat, skull, and brain. The sensor will scan nine different points to cover the whole one-sided head phantom to obtain equally distributed reflected signals under two different situations, namely the existence and absence of the tumor. In order to accurately detect the tumor by producing sharper and clearer microwave image, the Matrix Laboratory software is used to improve the microwave imaging algorithm (delay and sum) including summing the imaging algorithm and recording the scattering parameters. The existence of a tumor will produce images with an error that is lower than 2 cm.

Rice bran is a by-product of the rice milling process. It contains a high concentration of protein. Rice brans are frequently utilized as feed cattle, fertilizer, and fuel. However, their application as human nutrition supplements is uncommon, and the necessary process for this purpose is yet to be established, including the drying process. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the spray-drying parameters, the inlet temperature, inlet flowrate, and inlet air flowrate, on rice bran protein (RBP) powder and optimize it using response surface methodology (RSM). A thermal water-based extraction method was utilized prior to the drying process. The correlation between the spray-drying parameters, i.e., the inlet temperature (120 to 210 °C), feed flowrate (5 to 55%), and air flowrate (246 to 670 L/h), and the RBP yield were investigated. The quality of the RBP powder was evaluated based on acid amino profiling in the mixture through de novo peptide sequencing. The optimized operating conditions for the maximum yield of RBP powder (25.7 g RBP/100 g RRB) are 178 °C, feed flowrate of 25%, and air flowrate of 450 L/h. The main peptides that contribute to RBP powder protein are globulin and glutelin; meanwhile, prolamin is believed to degrade during the drying process. The process also produced protein sugar, helping to produce fine particles powder without the drying agent.

Extraction process are one of the critical units in palm oil milling process which dictates its efficiency. In this study, hot compressed water extraction (HCWE) is utilized for the crude palm oil (CPO) extraction. With regards to CPO quality, the extracted CPO using HCWE was analysed based on overall composition, triacylglycerol (TAG) composition and fatty acid profile composition. This is to evaluate the possible product degradation during the process. From the results, the CPO extracted using HCWE process contain low FFA of 0.15±0.01% and low DAG of 2.145% which reflect to higher quality of CPO. This CPO also show the equal mixture of saturated and unsaturated fatty acid composition at 50.63% and 49.93% respectively, within the CPO composition range in the literature. No significant changing of the fatty acid composition is observed between CPO extracted using HCWE and commercial CPO indicated that no possible undesired reaction during the extraction process. HCWE is a promising method for screw press system replacement, but the economic analysis is essential to evaluate its prospective.

Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are a novel category of environmentally friendly solvents created by the interaction of hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) and acceptors (HBAs) in precise molar ratios, exhibiting unique physicochemical characteristics. DES have low volatility, non-flammability, and great stability, making them ecologically benign substitutes for traditional solvents. The essential physical qualities of DES, including density, viscosity, and thermal stability, are pivotal to its operation. These characteristics are affected by parameters like as temperature, component mix, and molar ratios, enabling customisation for particular purposes. DES have shown considerable promise in several domains, including electrochemistry, material synthesis, and environmentally friendly chemical processes, owing to their adaptability and safety. In the realm of polyurethane (PU) solubilisation, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have notable potential. The solubilization process is ascribed to the breakdown of the polymer’s hydrogen bonds and the dissolving of urethane connections by the DES components, helped by their strong hydrogen bond network. By customising DES characteristics, researchers may enhance the breakdown process for PU, offering a sustainable solution to plastic waste issues. The basic features, physical and chemical properties, wide range of uses, and potential for developing PU solubilisation technologies of DES are highlighted in this paper.