Sustainable Drying and Torrefaction Processes of Miscanthus for Use as a Pelletized Solid Biofuel and Biocarbon-Carrier for Fertilizers

Miscanthus is resistant to dry, frosty winters in Poland and most European Union countries. Miscanthus gives higher yields compared to native species. Farmers can produce Miscanthus pellets after drying it for their own heating purposes. From the third year, the most efficient plant development begins, resulting in a yield of 25–30 tons of dry matter from an area of 1 hectare. Laboratory scale tests were carried out on the processes of drying, compacting, and torrefaction of this biomass type. The analysis of the drying process was conducted at three temperature levels of the drying agent (60, 100, and 140 °C). Compaction on a hydraulic press was carried out in the pressure range characteristic of a pressure agglomeration (130.8–457.8 MPa) at different moisture contents of the raw material (0.5% and 10%). The main interest in this part was to assess the influence of drying temperature, moisture content, and compaction pressure on the specific densities (DE) and the mechanical durability of the pellets (DU). In the next step, laboratory analyses of the torrefaction process were carried out, initially using the Thermogravimetric Analysis TGA and Differential Scaning Calorimeter DSC techniques (to assess activation energy (EA)), followed by a flow reactor operating at five temperature levels (225, 250, 275, 300, and 525 °C). A SEM analysis of Miscanthus after torrefaction processes at three different temperatures was performed. Both the parameters of biochar (proximate and ultimate analysis) and the quality of the torgas (volatile organic content (VOC)) were analyzed. The results show that both drying temperature and moisture level will affect the quality of the pellets. Analysis of the torrefaction process shows clearly that the optimum process temperature would be around 300–340 °C from a mass loss ratio and economical perspective.     

Investigation of Viscosity and Density Versus Temperature in Comparison with 1H Nmr Relaxation time Results for O,M-, P-Xylenes and α -,β-, γ - Picolines

The paper presents the results of density and viscosity measurements in liquid derivatives of benzene and pyridine, well purified, degassed or aerated, depending on temperature, in the whole liquidity range. Gaseous admixtures were found to affect the viscosity of liquids. From one to three Arrhenius regions were observed, depending on the structure and orientational freedom of the molecules. the results are discussed on the background of 1H NMR relaxation time studies with regard to the effect of dipole interactions on the structure of close packing.     

Striking Differences in Properties of Geometric Isomers of [Ir(tpy)(ppy)H]+: Experimental and Computational Studies of their Hydricities,Interaction with CO2, and Photochemistry

We prepared two geometric isomers of [Ir(tpy)(ppy)H]⁺, previously proposed as a key intermediate in the photochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO, and characterized their notably different ground‐ and excited‐state interactions with CO₂ and their hydricities using experimental and computational methods. Only one isomer, C‐trans‐[Ir(tpy)(ppy)H]⁺, reacts with CO₂ to generate the formato complex in the ground state, consistent with its calculated hydricity. Under photocatalytic conditions in CH₃CN/TEOA, a common reactive C‐trans‐[Ir(tpy)(ppy)]⁰ species, irrespective of the starting isomer or monodentate ligand (such as hydride or Cl), reacts with CO₂ and produces CO with the same catalytic efficiency.     

Surface properties of chitosan composites with poly(<Emphasis Type="Italic">N</Emphasis>-vinylpyrrolidone) and montmorillonite

Surface properties of composites containing chitosan (Ch) with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and montmorillonite (MMT) additives were investigated by contact angle measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and tensile tests. Composites were obtained by drop casting suspensions of montmorillonite (1 wt % relative to chitosan) and polymer (1 wt %) in 0.1 mol/dm³ acetic acid. Contact angle measurements for diiodomethane (D) and glycerol (G) on the surfaces of the chitosan films, PVP and their composite films were made; surface free energies were also calculated. It was found that the PVP/MMT or Ch/PVP/MMT blend surface is enriched with a high surface energy component, i.e., polyvinylpyrrolidone. The roughness of chitosan composites increases after the addition of montmorillonite; this may indicate an increase in the heterogeneity of this composition in comparison to other compositions. The TGA thermograms and mass loss percentages at different decomposition temperatures showed that the thermal stability of the binary composite slightly increases upon the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone. The mechanical properties such as tensile strength and Young modulus depend on the composition and varied non-uniformly.     

Non-gaussian diffusion modeling in composite porous media by homogenization: Tail effect

In the paper anomalous diffusion appearing in a porous medium composed of two porous components of considerably different diffusion characteristics is examined. The differences in diffusivities are supposed to result either from two medium types being present or from variations in pore size (double porosity media). The long-tail effect is predicted using the homogenization approach based on the application of multiple scale asymptotic developments. It is shown that, if the ratio of effective diffusion coefficients of two porous media is of the order of magnitude smaller or equal O( ²), where is a homogenization parameter, then the macroscopic behaviour of the composite may be affected by the presence of tail-effect. The results of the theoretical analysis were applied to a problem of diffusion in a bilaminate composite. Analytical calculations were performed to show the presence of the long-tail effect in two particular cases.Notations c _i the concentration of chemical species in water within the medium i - D _i the effective diffusion coefficient for the medium i - D _ij ^eff the macroscopic (or effective) diffusion tensor in the composite - ERV the elementary representative volume - h the thickness of the period - l a chracteristic length of the ERV or the periodic cell - L a characteristic macroscopic length - n the volumetric fraction of the material 2 - 1–n the volumetric fraction of the material 1 - N the unit vector normal to - t the time variable - x the macroscopic (or slow) space variable - y the microscopic (or fast) space variable - c _1c ,C _2c ,D _1c ,D _2c the characteristic quantities - T,T _1L ,T _2L ,T _1l ,T _2l the characteristic times - c ₁ ^* ,c ₂ ^* ,D ₁ ^* ,D ₂ ^* ,t ^* the non-dimensional variables - the homogenization parameter - ₁ the domain occupied by the material 1 - ₂ the domain occupied by the material 2 - the interface between the domains 1 and 2 - the total volume of the periodic cell - /x_i the gradient operator - the gradient operator     

Hyperbolic heat conduction in the semi-infinite body with the heat source which capacity linearly depends on temperature

It is commonly taken for granted that long-time solutions of Cattaneo's hyperbolic heat conduction equation tend to overlap the related parabolic solutions. Usually, for small times considerable qualitative as well as quantitative differences between the hyperbolic and parabolic solutions are observed which vanish completely for large times. However, in the case of a heat conducting body with the temperature dependent inner heat generation, the quantitative differences may grow with time. This arises from the feedback between the temperature and the source capacity. To illustrate this effect, Cattaneo's hyperbolic equation for the semi-infinite body, with the heat source which capacity is linearly dependent on temperature, is solved analytically by the Laplace transforms method. Received on 1 July 1997     

Nanolayers of selected porphyrin and phthalocyanine dyes on solid substrates studied by electronic absorption and IR reflection–absorption spectroscopy

Electronic absorption and IR reflection–absorption spectra in non-polarized and in polarized light for lead porphyrin as well as magnesium and lead phthalocyanine dyes when deposited in the form of Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) nanolayers on solid inorganic surfaces (quartz, semiconductor and metal) were measured. Some IR bands of the Langmuir–Blodgett dye layers’ spectra show frequency shifts and changes in the relative intensities as well as in half widths when compared with the vibrational features of powdered dyes dispersed in KBr pellets, which were used as references. The FT-IR spectroscopic examination of the Langmuir–Blodgett layers allowed to estimate electron redistribution at the interface between dye layer and solid substrates. The Langmuir–Blodgett films of different thicknesses (3, 5, 10 layers) were studied at various angles of IR beam incidence and different light polarizations. The most spectacular results were obtained for the grazing incidence (80°) and films of 5 layers for dyes on the Au substrate. The IR spectroscopy was supported with electronic absorption studies (UV–vis) to follow interaction at interface between the dye layers and the substrates as well as to evaluate linear dichroism and to determine arrangement of molecules in the Langmuir–Blodgett films. Molecular arrangement in the Langmuir–Blodgett layers was discussed. It was shown that the dye molecular planes are rather randomly oriented in the Langmuir–Blodgett films with a tendency that the Q_y and Q_x transition moments in the phthalocyanine macroring are slightly directed along the y-axis (Langmuir–Blodgett dipping direction) and the x-axis direction, respectively.