In one aspect, an oxygenated hierarchically porous carbon (an O-HPC) is provided, the O-HPC comprising: a hierarchically porous carbon (an UPC), the HPC comprising a surface, the surface comprising: (A) first order pores having an average diameter of between about 1 m and about 10 m; and (B) walls separating the first order pores, the walls comprising: (1) second order pores having a peak diameter between about 7 nm and about 130 nm; and (2) third order pores having an average diameter of less than about 4 nm, wherein at least a portion of the HPC surface has been subjected to O.sub.2 plasma to oxygenate and induce a negative charge to the surface. In one aspect, the O-HPC further comprises metal nanoparticles dispersed within the first, second, and third order pores. Methods for making and using the metal nanoparticle-impregnated O-HPCs are also provided.

Multi-functional materials for use in reversible, high-capacity hydrogen separation and/or storage are described. Also described are systems incorporating the materials. The multi-functional materials combine a hydrogen absorbing material with a high-efficiency and anon-contact energy absorbing material in a composite nanoparticle. The non-contact energy absorbing material include magnetic and/or plasmonic materials. The magnetic or plasmonic materials of the composite nanoparticles can provide localized heating to promote release of hydrogen from the hydrogen storage component of the composite nanoparticles.

A material for moisture removal and/or water harvesting from air may include a hydrophilic material containing micropores and a low water activity material confined within the micropores of the hydrophilic material. Apparatuses containing such materials and methods for moisture removal and/or water harvesting from air by using such materials are also described.

A Biorefinery System (BIOSYS) that effectively treats all human activity-derived waste (black water, grey water, and food waste streams) using biological systems and that produces as process by-products: recovered potable water, liberated free oxygen, edible protein cake (with and without lipids), soil amendments, and machinery lube oils. Additionally, the system captures and chemically binds carbon dioxide into microbial cells and associated by-products, thus producing recovered usable returned cabin air.

A process of obtaining a purified geometric isomer of an unsaturated macrocyclic compound is disclosed herein. The process is effected by contacting an ion exchange medium comprising silver ions with a mixture comprising at least one geometric isomer of the unsaturated macrocyclic compound, to thereby obtain at least one fraction comprising the purified geometric isomer of the macrocyclic compound. A system configured for performing the process is also disclosed.

A xenon adsorbent capable of efficiently adsorbing xenon, even at a low concentration, from a mixture gas is Provided.

A xenon adsorbent comprising a zeolite having a pore size in the range of 3.5 to 5 and a silica alumina molar ratio in the range of 10 to 30.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an NO.sub.x storage material having sufficient NO.sub.x storage capacity even in a low temperature region and a production method thereof.

An NO.sub.x storage material including a composite oxide of silver and gallium. The composite oxide of silver and gallium is preferably a delafossite-type composite oxide. The composite oxide is produced by dissolving a silver salt and a gallium salt in a solvent and baking the solution, wherein the molar ratio of silver:gallium is preferably from 2:8 to 7:3.

Metal nanoparticle-deposited, nitrogen-doped carbon adsorbents are disclosed, along with methods of removing sulfur compounds from a hydrocarbon feed stream using these adsorbents.

Implementations are described herein that include producing waste forms that include an amount of radioactive waste material encapsulated in an amount of polymeric material. The waste form can be produced by heating a mixture that includes the polymeric material and the radioactive waste material. The heated or molten mixture is then subject to a process that applies an amount of pressure to the heated mixture and produces the waste form.

A wastewater treatment method and a wastewater treatment apparatus securely and readily remove selenium, which is considered harmful, by removing not only 0-valent selenium, 4-valent selenium, and 6-valent selenium, but also -2-valent selenium. In the wastewater treatment method and the wastewater treatment apparatus for treating wastewater including selenium, -2-valent selenium included in the wastewater is oxidated by using an oxidant, or -2-valent selenium included in the water is removed by using a remover.