The present invention refers to the use of a surface-treated calcium carbonate-comprising material and/or magnesium carbonate-comprising material as oxygen scavenger; wherein the surface treatment agent is selected from the group consisting of ascorbic acid and/or salts thereof, gallic acid and/or salts thereof, unsaturated fatty acids and/or salts thereof, elemental iron, iron (II)-salts and iron (ID-comprising oxides, iron (II, III)-comprising oxides and mixtures thereof; and wherein the total weight of the surface treatment agent on the total surface area of the at least one calcium carbonate-comprising material and/or magnesium carbonate-comprising material is from 0.01 to 40 mg/m.sup.2, based on the at least one calcium carbonate-comprising material and/or magnesium carbonate-comprising material.

Systems and methods for preserving oxidizable substances such as liquids or foodstuffs are disclosed. These systems incorporate a sealing device and an oxygen scavenging chemical or agent coupleable to the system. The oxygen scavenging agent can remove the oxygen from the headspace of a container such as a bottle of wine without reducing the pressure in the headspace to the extent that the flavor of the wine is adversely affected.

The invention relates to a method for improving the storability of seeds, comprising storing the seeds in the presence of an oxygen absorber. Preferably, the seeds are stored in a closed container. In a first embodiment, the oxygen absorber does not remove moisture from inside the container. In another embodiment, the oxygen absorber does remove moisture from inside the container. The seeds can be stored at a temperature between freezer temperature and the temperature at which the seeds lose their viability. Upon storing seeds according to the invention the storage temperature can be much higher.

A zeolite formulation has been identified that is to be included in an arrangement of barrier layers allowing for the entrapment of volatile organoleptic compound (VOCs), in particular, odor causing VOCs, between the barrier layers in order to contain the release of these compounds. The entrapment technique allows for extended time to adsorb, absorb or react such VOCs before they can be absorbed by the product surrounded by the packaging. A zeolite formulation of an odor scavenger layer not having any VOC barrier layers within the film is also disclosed having the capability to contain the release of hydrogen sulfide over a period of at least 20 days.

A zeolite formulation has been identified that is to be included in an arrangement of barrier layers allowing for the entrapment of volatile organoleptic compound (VOCs), in particular, odor causing VOCs, between the barrier layers in order to contain the release of these compounds. The entrapment technique allows for extended time to adsorb, absorb or react such VOCs before they can be absorbed by the product surrounded by the packaging. A zeolite formulation of an odor scavenger layer not having any VOC barrier layers within the film is also disclosed having the capability to contain the release of hydrogen sulfide over a period of at least 20 days.

Methods and systems for performing pest infestation forewarning are described. In one embodiment, intuition based forewarning method includes collecting and storing core data and surroundings data, wherein the core data includes parameters describing a system and ring data includes parameters describing surroundings of grain storage container-based (e.g., silo-based) environments. The collected core data and ring data are analyzed to determine one or more changing situations of the storage container-based (e.g., silo-based) environments. A system forewarning is generated based on the changing situations that are observed.

A refrigerator comprises a refrigerator body, an air-conditioning membrane assembly and an air pump assembly. The refrigerator body defines a storage space and a compressor chamber therein, a storage container is arranged in the storage space, and a freshness-keeping space is defined inside the storage container. The air-conditioning membrane assembly is configured to allow more oxygen than nitrogen in airflow in a surrounding space of the air-conditioning membrane assembly to pass through the air-conditioning membrane and enter an oxygen-rich gas collection chamber. An inlet end of the air pump is communicated with the oxygen-rich gas collection chamber in a controlled manner via a pipeline and a pipeline switching mechanism, for pumping gas in the oxygen-rich gas collection chamber to the outside of the freshness-keeping space, such that the actual content of oxygen in the freshness-keeping space is in a range of 2% to 19%.

There is provided a coating formulation comprising an inorganic oxygen scavenger, a surfactant, an activator, a hydrophilic agent, optionally an additive and a plurality of monomers capable of forming a polymeric matrix, and a method to prepare the same. There is also provided an article comprising an inorganic scavenger, a surfactant, an activator, a hydrophilic agent and optionally an additive dispersed within a polymeric matrix, and a method to prepare the same.

There is provided a coating formulation comprising an inorganic oxygen scavenger, a surfactant, an activator, a hydrophilic agent, optionally an additive and a plurality of monomers capable of forming a polymeric matrix, and a method to prepare the same. There is also provided an article comprising an inorganic scavenger, a surfactant, an activator, a hydrophilic agent and optionally an additive dispersed within a polymeric matrix, and a method to prepare the same.

The invention is directed to a nanostructured composite material comprising a mixture of at least one metal particle such as iron and a carbon material from biomass such as D-glucose, D-glucosamine hydrochloride or a-cyclodextrin. The invention is also directed to a composition comprising the composite material comprising the composite material and an inorganic salt, and a method for synthesizing the composite material comprising immersing the carbon material into a solution of metal ions, drying the impregnated carbon particle and subjecting the impregnated carbon particle to a carbothermal reduction process. The nanostructured composite material is useful as an oxygen scavenging layer in a multi-layer film which comprises the oxygen scavenging layer and an oxygen barrier layer that retards the permeation of oxygen from an external environment.