Syed Nasir Shah

The increasing lithium (Li) demand, attributable to its essential function in energy storage applications, has necessitated the advancement in Li extraction and recovery methods. Brine-based Li extraction presents a cost-effective and scalable solution; however, challenges such as high magnesium-to-Li (Mg/Li) ratios and environmental concerns necessitate innovative approaches. This review comprehensively examines various Li recovery techniques from brine, focusing on precipitation, adsorption and ion exchange, membrane separation, electrochemical separation, solvent extraction, and hybrid technologies. Precipitation methods, including carbonate and aluminate precipitation, offer straightforward processing but face selectivity challenges in high Mg/Li ratio brines. Adsorption and ion exchange techniques, particularly Li-ion sieves and layered double hydroxides, have demonstrated high selectivity and efficiency. Electrochemical methods present promising low-energy alternatives for Li separation. Furthermore, solvent extraction and advanced membrane-based techniques provide additional pathways for Li recovery, enhancing the yield and purity. This Perspective highlights recent advancements, process optimizations, and emerging strategies aimed at improving Li recovery while reducing environmental impact. Comparative assessment of these techniques is provided, considering factors such as the Mg/Li ratio, operational feasibility, energy consumption, and scalability. Special emphasis is placed on emerging strategies such as engineered sorbents, electrochemical separation, and advanced membrane filtration, which offer sustainable alternatives to traditional methods. Additionally, this review bridges the gap between laboratory-scale research and industrial applications, outlining key challenges and potential solutions for Li extraction. This Review provides a roadmap for developing more efficient, sustainable, and scalable Li extraction processes. The insights presented here aid researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers in advancing Li recovery technologies to meet growing global demand.

The development of advanced composite materials for thin‐walled pressure vessels demands a balance between mechanical strength and thermal insulation. In this study, a novel three‐phase composite system comprising epoxy resin, silica (SiO ₂ ) micro‐particles, and glass fiber reinforcement was fabricated and characterized for potential application in high‐performance thin vessel structures. Specimens were cured at varying temperatures (60°C to 160°C) to systematically investigate the influence of curing conditions on the structural and thermal properties. Comprehensive material characterization, including Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, confirmed the successful integration of silica and glass fiber within the amorphous epoxy matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed a two‐stage degradation process, with maximum thermal stability observed at 120°C curing temperature. Specific heat capacity ( C _p ) and measurements indicated decreasing trends with increasing curing temperature, enhancing thermal insulation. Mechanical testing demonstrated that hoop strength ( S _H ) and burst pressure ( P _b ) improved significantly with curing temperatures up to 140°C, following third‐degree polynomial relationships. Notably, the composite cured at 120°C exhibited the highest combination of hoop strength (341.3 ± 6.5 MPa), burst pressure (16.66 ± 0.3 MPa), C _p (2.33 J/g·K), thermal conductivity (0.198 W/m·K) and Factor of Safety (1.39 ± 0.024), while maintaining superior thermal resistance. Theoretical predictions showed strong agreement with experimental results across all evaluations. Overall, the optimized epoxy/SiO ₂ /glass fiber composites offer a lightweight, thermally stable, and mechanically robust alternative to traditional metallic vessels, highlighting their potential for use in chemical, oil, and pharmaceutical industries requiring durable thin‐walled pressure containment solutions.

The performance of the Lithium Ion Batteries (LiBs) is significantly influenced with the synergetic chemical properties of two different materials in a composite form. The specific capacity of both titanium dioxide arrays (TNAs) and Antimony trisulfide (Sb₂S₃) bottleneck the performance of LiB due to the low conductivity after the implantation as anode material. Herein, a novel multifunctional composite composed of highly dispersed Sb₂S₃ on freestanding tubular TNAs host via chemical bath deposition method (CBD) for use as anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The loading quantity of Sb₂S₃ with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was regulated to achieve adjustable outcomes. The composite anode consisting of TNAs/ Sb₂S₃/G in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has a specific capacity that is three times greater than conventional anodes. Furthermore, this composite anode maintains stable cyclic performance even after undergoing 300 cycles. The initial coulombic efficiency of the composite electrode is 100%, whereas the bare TNAs had a coulombic efficiency of 45%. The cycle performance analysis demonstrated that the TNAs/ Sb₂S₃/G composite has superior specific capacity and efficiency, even under high current density conditions of 500 µA/cm². The rate performance is greatly improved, indicating the efficacy of this innovative composite anode material for high-performance LIBs.

The strontium‐manganese supported over ceramic was synthesized through wet impregnation method and investigated as a solid catalyst for its catalytic performance in transesterifying‐esterifying low‐grade waste frying oil with methanol in a batch reactor; parameters for synthesis of catalyst and transesterification reaction were also optimized. The maximum biodiesel yield of 93.66 % was attained by SrO‐MnO/Ceramic catalyst under normal process conditions. The synthesized catalyst reusability potential was also evaluated for 12 runs with regeneration carried out after the 7th run only and it revealed that the catalyst showed great stability for the initial five cycles offering yield of over 90 %. The fresh and used SrO‐MnO/Ceramic catalysts were characterized to address the mechanism of catalytic behavior and deactivation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), benzoic acid and n‐butylamine titration method, and Hammett indicators. The alteration in surface morphology; Mn solubility in glycerol and methanol; occupation of energetic centers by organics might be the reasons for diminished activity or deactivation of solid catalyst after repeated reuse.

Reducing energy consumption in buildings has received intensified research impetus since the introduction of the decarbonization goals set in the Paris agreement. Many domestic and specialized applications require clean rooms (indoor built environments) for safe and clean operation. Energy efficiency in clean room spaces depends on maintaining livable or required conditions such as temperature, humidity, and particle concentration with minimal use of energy and new carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. In the literature, parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, particle concentrations, and CO₂ emissions are not able to be properly controlled in clean room systems. The designed system in the literature involves high energy consumption and high economic costs. All these factors add novelty to this research, which was a significant research gap in previous studies. This clean room is directly linked to environmental parameters such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, etc. The clean room is also related directly to the building and infrastructure in such a way that there are certain regulatory requirements for designing a clean room. For designing and constructing the controlled environment in a clean room, the English (EN) documents, ISO 9000, and various other standards allow for clean rooms for different types of products. In this research, the designed control configurations properly control the system. Additionally, this system is energy efficient, with positive environmental aspects regarding CO₂ emissions. Three control configurations were designed in this research, option A, option B, and option C, and three parameters are controlled in the study. These parameters are room temperature, relative humidity, and CO₂ emissions (outside the room). CO₂ emissions are controlled outside the room (in the environment). In the last research phase, a comparative analysis of these three control configurations was performed to find an energy-efficient system with fewer CO₂ emissions. Control configuration B (option B) provides reliable results regarding an energy-efficient system and fewer CO₂ emissions emitted to the environment. In this study, an optimized configuration for the air conditioning system was developed for a clean room (volume 185.6 m³) with a required temperature of 23 °C, relative humidity of 40%, and a particle size of less than 0.3 μm. Three different design configurations were analyzed using TRNSYS simulation software. The minimization of energy use and CO₂ emissions were the objective functions. Energy loads were calculated for each of the configurations by varying the fixed air change per hour and the minimum outdoor air flow rate. The results of a whole year simulation run for control configurations A, B, and show that, on the one hand, the ambient weather conditions of temperature and relative humidity (RH) is varied throughout year and, on the other hand, the clean room temperature was maintain at exactly 23 °C, which is the required set point temperature, for all the three configurations (A, B, and C). Furthermore, the clean room relative humidity was maintained at 36% for configuration A, below the 40% which was the set point for clean room relative humidity, and at 40% for configurations B and C. Configuration B exhibited the minimum energy use (7300 kWh), at a fixed air change per hour value of 20 and a minimum outdoor air flow rate of 150 L/s, with the least amount of CO₂ emissions, offering an overall 25% improvement over configurations A and C.