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Energy conservation in buildings has been the focus of many studies since nearly one-third of global energy consumption is due to buildings. Phase change material (PCM) technology promises to be an attractive solution for energy saving in buildings since it is a passive and effective technology, as demonstrated in the literature. Therefore, this study focuses on the energy-saving performance of PCM-integrated buildings located in a Mediterranean climate to reveal their energy-saving potential. PCM is integrated both in external or internal south walls and roofs of buildings under four different climatic conditions. EnergyPlus, which is a well-known building simulation software, is adopted for building thermal analyses. The effects of melting temperature, location of PCM layer in the wall, thickness of PCM layer, type of envelope (wall or roof), and PCM double-layer system in the wall are investigated. The corresponding energy savings and CO2 emission reductions are obtained for the considered cases. The results showed that up to 41.6% reduction in energy demand can be obtained depending on the PCM application. Besides, PCM with a low melting temperature (21 °C) favored heating energy savings, while PCM with a high melting temperature (29 °C) favored cooling energy savings. Moreover, the double-layer PCM system provided higher energy savings than the single-layer PCM system, especially in warm and arid regions (Sousse and Tozeur).

Integrating phase change materials (PCMs) into building envelopes offers a powerful method for enhancing thermal mass and reducing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning energy demand. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of combining PCMs with various roof designs (flat, gable, and domed) and shading strategies in a Mediterranean climate to optimize residential building performance. Through a 3E (energetic, environmental, and economic) assessment and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling, we determined that the use of PCM23 significantly enhances occupant comfort, improving the predicted mean vote by 17% and enhancing overall thermal comfort by 14%. The most effective configuration, a gable roof with integrated PCMs, outperformed a flat roof by reducing annual energy consumption by 20% (1103 kWh). This optimal design also yielded substantial economic and environmental benefits, including a 16.2 TD/m2 reduction in annual energy costs, a short investment payback period, and a 4% decrease in operational CO2 emissions. These results highlight the significant potential of pairing PCMs with passive architectural features to create more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and comfortable living environments.

AbstractThe main objectives of this study is to model the transport of methylene blue (MB) in homogenous and layered soils which has been studied experimentally by fixed bed column. The effect of soil stratification has been studied through numerical investigation based on the coupled solute transport model in three-layered soil. The effect of some significant parameters such as flow rate, initial concentration of MB, thickness of each layer and the numbers of layers on the breakthrough curves have been undertaken. A finite element analysis model was employed to predict the transport of MB in soils. A two dimensional model based on Richards equation and advection-dispersion equation coupled with adsorption model has been developed and an analytical model has been used to predict the dispersivity. The results shows that the soil heterogeneity has a significant effect on methylene blue (MB) adsorption through unsaturated layered media and the effect of the parameters of the upper layer of the soil is more significant than those of the lower layer but this effect can be controlled with the choice of the thicknesses of each layer.

Background According to evidence, medicinal plants such as thyme, rosemary, and fenugreek were beneficial for human health. Recently, these plants showed a great impact in animal health, particularly in poultry. Objectives To map the body of literature on the impact of medicinal plants on poultry health, including growth performance, gut microbiota, and mortality. Eligibility criteria Articles published in the English language from January 2019 to February 2023 randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, conducted on hens, chickens, or chicks that aimed to assess the effect of medicinal plants with or without prebiotics, on health-related outcomes including growth performance, mortality rate, and gut microbiota composition. Sources of evidence From December 2022 to February 2023, a systematic search on PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. Charting methods Data charting was performed using a standardized form on Excel 365 that included study identification features, population and sample size, study groups, intervention description, follow-up period, and main outcomes. Results After the second screening, 38 articles were included. Results showed that thyme, rosemary, and peppermint were widely tested, and they were effective in promoting body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, live body weight, and microbiota, and in reducing mortality rate and intestinal multiple resistant bacteria. Cinnamon, lemon, garlic, and fenugreek were less commonly experimented. However, some studies that they were effective in improving growth performance and improving gut microbiota in healthy chickens. Conclusions Various studies confirmed that 5 to 6 g/kg of thyme powder was effective in improving growth performance and gut microbiota in healthy chickens. Further experiments are needed to compare the impact of thyme to antibiotics in chickens infected with multiple drug-resistant bacteria.