褐煤热解过程中半焦重整催化剂性质的变化

为降低焦油产率,提高褐煤气化效率,采用胜利褐煤热解所得的半焦作为催化剂,在二阶石英反应器中对煤热解的焦油进行原位催化重整,分析和讨论了反应前后半焦催化剂的性质变化。结果表明,反应后半焦质量较反应前普遍有所下降,半焦是一种消耗性催化剂;反应后半焦的比表面积由422 m~2/g降到231.8 m~2/g;Raman分析结果表明,反应后半焦含氧官能团、小环(3-5个缩合芳环)与大环(大于5个缩合芳环)体系之比均有所降低。在半焦-挥发分作用过程中,快速热解制得半焦主要将挥发分裂解为小分子气体,慢速热解制得的半焦则主要使挥发分缩聚结焦脱除。     

Hydrogen production by methanol steam reforming on a cordierite monolith reactor coated with Cu–Ni/LaZnAlO<Subscript>4</Subscript> and Cu–Ni/γ-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts

The performance of Cu–Ni/LaZnAlO₄ and Cu–Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts in the methanol reforming process in a monolith reactor in the temperature range of 200–350 °C, feed flow rate of WHSV = 20.8 h^?1 and atmospheric pressure has been investigated. In order to perform a more thorough investigation, surface area, morphology and crystalline structure of the synthetic catalysts have been studied using BET, FE-SEM, TPR, FT-IR, TEM, TGA and XRD analyses. The results have shown that Cu–Ni/LaZnAlO₄ catalyst synthesized by combustion reaction method under ultrasound irradiation has a very high efficiency and catalytic activity, low reduction temperature, high mechanical resistance and large pore sizes. The latter causes a higher percentage of active metal impregnation and better distribution on the support, greater resistance against sintering and maintenance of catalyst inertness at temperatures over 1000 °C, in comparison with conventional catalysts such as Cu–Ni/γ-Al₂O₃. This make its substitution for currently used catalysts affordable.     

Gold, palladium and gold–palladium supported on silica catalysts prepared by sol–gel method: synthesis, characterization and catalytic behavior in the ethanol steam reforming

Noble-metal-based catalysts supported on silica (Au/SiO₂, Pd/SiO₂ and Au–Pd/SiO₂) were prepared by the sol–gel method and were evaluated in the steam reforming of ethanol for hydrogen production. The catalysts were characterized by N₂ physisorption (BET/BJH methods), X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed reduction analysis, H₂ chemisorption, atomic absorption spectrophotometry and Raman spectroscopy. The structural characterization of the Au- and Pd-containing catalysts after calcination showed that the solids are predominantly formed by Au⁰, Pd⁰ and PdO species and was observed that the metallic Pd dispersion diminished in the presence of Au⁰. The results revealed that the catalytic behavior could be influenced by the experimental conditions and the nature of the catalyst employed. The Pd/SiO₂ catalyst showed the best performance among the catalysts tested at the highest reaction temperature (600 °C) due to the more effective action of the metallic active phase, which covers a greater area in this sample. At this same reaction temperature, the Au–Pd/SiO₂ catalyst showed a significant deactivation, probably due to the lower Pd dispersion presented by this catalyst.     

Ni catalysts supported on nano-crystalline aluminum oxide prepared by a microemulsion method for dry reforming reaction

Mesoporous nano-crystalline γ-Al₂O₃ with high surface area prepared by a microemulsion (ME) method was employed as carrier for nickel catalysts in dry reforming of methane for syngas production. The structural properties of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area analysis, temperature programmed reduction and oxidation and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Microemulsion showed it to be a promising way for the production of nano-crystalline aluminum oxide, and the nickel catalysts prepared with this support have significant features and properties to use in the dry reforming reaction. The results revealed that the prepared γ-Al₂O₃ exhibited a nano-crystalline structure (crystal size: c.4.8 nm) with a high specific surface area (308 m² g^?1). In addition, the catalysts with different nickel contents exhibited high catalytic activity in the dry reforming reaction. The results also showed that an increase in Ni loading from 5 to 15 wt% caused a decrease in the specific surface area and nickel dispersion.     

TG–MS analysis of thermal behavior and gaseous emissions during co-combustion of straw with municipal sewage sludge

The thermal behavior and gas product distribution during combustion of straw (wheat straw, corn stalks, and cotton stalks), municipal sewage sludge (MSS), and their blends were investigated by thermogravimetry–mass spectroscopy. The experiments were conducted with various blending ratios and temperatures ranging from 323 to 1,173 K. Addition of MSS decreased the combustion performance of the straw. The reactions between wheat straw and corn stalks with MSS proceeded more easily than that of cotton stalks. Significant interactions were observed between the straw and MSS at the char combustion stage. Gaseous species (CO₂, SO₂, NH₃, HCN, and NO) were mainly produced at temperatures of 523–873 K at which most of the mass loss occurred. Higher MSS proportions in the blends resulted in lower emissions peaks for CO₂, NH₃, HCN, and NO except for SO₂. To ensure combustion performance and mitigate problematic gaseous emissions, the proportion of MSS added to the blends should be <30 mass%.     

Continuous high-temperature fluidized bed pyrolysis of coal in complex atmospheres: Product distribution and pyrolysis gas

This study is devoted to investigating the continuous coal pyrolysis in a laboratory fluidized bed reactor that fed coal and discharged char continuously at temperatures of 750–980 °C and in N₂-base atmospheres containing O₂, H₂, CO, CH₄ and CO₂ at varied contents. The results showed that the designed continuous pyrolysis test provided a clear understanding of the coal pyrolysis behavior in various complex atmospheres free of and with O₂. The effect of adding H₂, CO, CH₄ or CO₂ into the atmosphere on the tar yield was related to the O₂ content in the atmosphere. Without O₂ in the atmosphere, adding H₂ and CO₂ decreased the pyrolysis tar yield, but the tar yield was conversely higher with raising the CO and CH₄ contents in the atmosphere. In O₂-containing atmospheres, the influence from varying the atmospheric gas composition on the product distribution and pyrolysis gas composition was closely related to the oxidation or gasification reactions occurring to char, tar and the tested gas.     

Hydrogen Production From Crude Bio-oil and Biomass Char by Electrochemical Catalytic Reforming

We reports an efficient approach for production of hydrogen from crude bio-oil and biomass char in the dual fixed-bed system by using the electrochemical catalytic reforming method. The maximal absolute hydrogen yield reached 110.9 g H₂/kg dry biomass. The product gas was a mixed gas containing 72%H₂, 26%CO₂, 1.9%CO, and a trace amount of CH₄. It was observed that adding biomass char (a by-product of pyrolysis of biomass) could remarkably increase the absolute H₂ yield (about 20%-50%). The higher reforming temperature could enhance the steam reforming reaction of organic compounds in crude bio-oil and the reaction of CO and H₂O. In addition, the CuZn-Al₂O₃ catalyst in the water-gas shift bed could also increase the absolute H₂ yield via shifting CO to CO₂.     

Effects of calcination and support on supported manganese catalysts for the catalytic oxidation of toluene as a model of VOCs

The conventional impregnation method was used to prepare 15 wt% Mn-supported catalysts, which were applied to the catalytic oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs; toluene, benzene, and o-xylene). The effects of calcination temperatures in the range of 500–900 °C and supports (γ-Al₂O₃, SiO₂, and TiO₂) on the property and performance of 15 wt% Mn-supported catalysts were investigated. Their physicochemical characteristics were analyzed by the BET, XRD, NH₃–TPD, H₂–TPR, and XPS. The calcination temperature greatly affected the crystalline structure and O1s _D (defect oxides)/O1s _L (lattice oxides) area ratio of the 15 wt% Mn/γ-Al₂O₃ (15 Mn/Al) catalyst. The order of the O1s _D/O1s _L area ratios of the 15 Mn/Al catalysts with respect to calcination temperature was 900 > 500 > 700 °C, which was in good agreement with that observed for the catalytic activity. In addition, the activity order of the 15 wt% Mn-supported catalysts with respect to the type of support was γ-Al₂O₃ > SiO₂ > TiO₂. The 15 wt% Mn/Al catalyst, which had a higher O1s _D/O1s _L area ratio, showed better activity than the 15 wt% Mn/SiO₂ (15 Mn/Si) and 15 wt% Mn/TiO₂ (15 Mn/Ti) catalysts. Defect oxides played a significant role in the catalytic oxidation of VOCs. The catalytic activity with respect to the type of VOC decreased in the order of benzene > toluene > o-xylene.     

On the sol–gel synthesis and catalytic activity of Ce1−xAxO2−δ (A = Pr, Sm, Gd) SOFCs anode materials for reforming of methane

A sol–gel route to synthesize nanocrystalline praseodymium-, samarium- and gadolinium-doped ceria powders for solid oxides fuel Cells SOFCs is presented. The method involves metal nitrates with propionic acid (both as chelating ligand and solvent), gel formation, liquid nitrogen quenching, drying at 150 °C/24 h, and finally decomposition at 450 °C in nitrogen followed by calcination at 650 °C in air. TG–DTA, BET, XRD, FTIR, UV–vis and catalytic tests were used to characterize the samples. Ce_0.8Pr_0.2O_2?δ sample exhibited the best catalytic performance in methane steam reforming under water deficient conditions, closely followed by Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_2?δ, Ce_0.8Sm_0.2O_2?δ and Ce_0.8Gd_0.2O_2?δ catalysts. The superior catalytic performance of Ce_0.8Pr_0.2O_2?δ sample was attributed to the existence of praseodymium species (Pr⁴⁺/Pr³⁺) strongly interacting with ceria. The two systems act synergistically in the catalytic steam reforming of methane.     

Mass transfer limitation in thermogravimetry of biomass gasification

In order to determine the intrinsic reactivity behavior from thermogravimetry studies, the experimental conditions should be such that the reactions are not mass transfer limited. Biomass char usually has a higher reactivity than coal chars. Therefore, mass transfer limitations may be more problematic when studying biomass char reactivity. Chemical reaction kinetics and mass transfer processes present in thermogravimetry are used for modeling the overall reaction rate for spruce bark CO₂ gasification. Thermogravimetric experiments are carried out between 700 and 900 °C, and the CO₂ concentration is varied between 10 and 90 vol%. The intrinsic activation energy is found to be 120 kJ mol^?1. The transition temperature between regimes I and II is here defined when the fraction apparent to true activation energy equals 0.75. Higher external mass transfer (e.g., by decreasing the diffusion path through the crucible’s freeboard), decreasing the sample amounts, and higher CO₂ partial pressures for the Langmuir–Hinshelwood reaction type increase the transition temperature. The results show that the transition temperature between regimes I and II conditions is approx. 1,030 °C for 90 vol% CO₂.     

Sb modified Fe–Mn/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst for the reduction of NO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> with NH<Subscript>3</Subscript> at low temperatures

Manganese-based catalysts have attracted much attention due to their excellent performance for NO reduction with NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) at low temperatures. In the current study, the novel metal Sb was modified into Mn/TiO₂ and Fe–Mn/TiO₂, and the NO _x conversion was compared with those of Mn/TiO₂ and Fe–Mn/TiO₂ catalysts to investigate the effect of the Sb. The NO _x reduction activities of the catalysts were evaluated in the temperature range of 100–250 °C at a space velocity of 60,000 h^?1. The physicochemical properties of all the catalysts were characterized by Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia, temperature-programmed reduction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, the Sb-promoted Mn-based catalysts showed significantly higher NO _x conversion than the other catalysts with or without 6 vol% of H₂O. The high performance of the Sb-modified catalysts could be related to the increase of acid sites and redox properties.     

Kinetics of coal and char oxycombustion studied by TG–FTIR

Coal and char oxycombustion is a complex process because of very high reaction rate of oxygen with coals and chars carbon. Very important process during oxycombustion is diffusion of O₂ to surface of coal and char grain. This process can be minimized using small samples and high flow of the gas, but it is also dependent on temperature. For this reason, it is impossible to eliminate diffusion processes which cause significant impact on calculated kinetic parameters. This paper describes the results of thermogravimetric studies of oxycombustion process with evolved gas analysis by FTIR. Ultimate and proximate analysis of coal and char were made. Thermogravimetric experiments of coal and its char oxycombustion were conducted using five heating rates, namely 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 K min^?1, and gas mixture composed of 20 % O₂ in CO₂. Activation energies of coal and char oxycombustion were calculated by isoconversional methods: integral Vyazovkin and differential Friedman. Activation energies for three ranges of heating rates were calculated. This paper shows influence of heating rate on calculated activation energy. The reason of this phenomenon is due to change of the mechanism of coal and char oxycombustion from the chemical kinetic control regime to mixed chemical kinetic–diffusion control regime.     

Kinetic analysis of co-pyrolysis of cellulose and polypropylene

The present research work focuses on understanding the kinetics and mechanism of co-pyrolysis of cellulose, a major constituent of biomass, and polypropylene (PP) that is abundantly present in waste plastics. Co-pyrolysis of cellulose and PP of different compositions, viz., 100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, 20:80, and 0:100 (mass%/mass%), was carried out in a thermogravimetric analyzer at various heating rates from 5 to 180 K min^?1. The kinetics of slow to medium heating rate pyrolysis was analyzed using first Kissinger and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose techniques. Cellulose and PP decomposition occurred in two distinct temperature regimes, viz., 575–650 and 675–775 K, respectively. However, apparent activation energies of thermal decomposition of the mixtures clearly indicated the presence of interaction between cellulose and PP. The presence of cellulose in the mixture decreased the apparent activation energy of PP decomposition from 210 to 120 kJ mol^?1, while the presence of PP did not affect the apparent activation energy of cellulose decomposition (E _a = 158 ± 3 kJ mol^?1). A significant decrease in apparent activation energy was observed in the conversion regime corresponding to the completion of cellulose pyrolysis and beginning of PP pyrolysis. Differential scanning calorimetry data clearly showed the shift of exothermic char formation to higher temperatures with PP incorporation in the mixture. The presence of PP also resulted in reduction of final char content. Based on the above analyses, a new interaction step that involves a bimolecular reaction of activated PP with volatiles from cellulose pyrolysis to form interaction products and char is proposed, and the rate limiting steps for char formation are clearly identified.     

Mechanisms of catalytic biomass gasification

This paper discusses possible mechanisms for the pyrolytic reaction of biomass with steam in the presence of alkali carbonate and supported-nickel catalysts. In addition to catalyzing the carbon/steam reaction, the alkali carbonates alter the biomass pyrolysis reaction path-ways, producing gas and char at the expense of tars. Nickel catalyst, while quite effective for secondary tar and gas reactions, tend to lose activity over time; therefore, studies of these catalysts were directed toward identifying mechanisms of carbon deposition, the primary cause of catalyst deactivation.     

Synthesis of mesoporous Stöber silica nanoparticles: the effect of secondary and tertiary alkanolamines

The effect of secondary (diethanolamine) and tertiary (triethanolamine) alkanolamines as catalysts on the formation of mesoporous Stöber silica nanoparticles by sol–gel method was studied. The particles were characterized by thermogravimetry and differential thermal analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N₂ physisorption measurements, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. By using ammonia and different alkanolamines as catalysts, the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) surface area and pore volume increased in the order of ammonia < diethanolamine < triethanolamine. A maximum BET surface area of 140.1 m² g^?1 and pore volume of 0.66 cm³ g^?1 were obtained from triethanolamine catalyzed silica particles. The average particle size of silica prepared by ammonia and different alkanolamines as catalysts decreased in the order of ammonia > diethanolamine > triethanolamine. The role of different alkanolamines on the textural properties and particle size of silica is explained in terms of their relative steric hindrance and basicity.     

A Model of Plasma-Biofilm and Plasma-Tissue Interactions at Ambient Pressure

This paper presents the development of a model framework for plasma-biofilm and plasma-tissue interactions that can link molecular simulation of plasma chemistry to functions at a cell population level or a tissue level. This is aided with a reactive penetration model for mass transfer of highly transient plasma species across the gas–liquid boundary and a panel of electrical and thermal thresholds considering pain sensation, protein denaturation and lethal electric currents. Application of this model reveals a number of previously little known findings, for example the penetration of plasma chemistry into highly hydrated biofilms is about 10–20 μm deep for low-power He–O₂ plasma and this is closely correlated to the penetration of liquid-phase plasma chemistry dominated by O₂ ^?, H₂O₂, and HO₂ or O₂ ^?, H₂O₂, and O₃. Optimization by manipulating liquid-phase chemistry is expected to improve the penetration depth to 40–50 μm. For direct plasma treatment of skin tissues at radio frequencies, the key tolerance issue is thermal injuries even with a tissue temperature <50 °C and these can lead to induction of pain and protein denaturation at a small discharge density of 8–15 mA/cm² over few tens of seconds. These and other results presented offer opportunities to improve plasma-biofilm and plasma-tissue interactions. The model framework reported may be further extended and can be used to non-biomedical applications of low-temperature plasmas.     

Object-oriented synthetic approach toward angular and linear fused pyrazoloquinolines of biological importance with InCl3 catalyst

A simple and short approach for the synthesis of pyrazolo[3,4-b]quinoline (3a–3p) and pyrazolo[4,3-c]quinoline (6a–6 h) using various Lewis acid catalysts was developed. InCl₃ was found to be more effective in providing greater yield of products compared to Yb(OTf)₃, Sc(OTf)₃, SnCl₄, AlCl₃, TiCl₄, ZnCl₂, FeCl₃, and BF₃ · Et₂O. Moreover, a comparison of conventional and microwave methods has revealed that the latter method is more efficient compared to former one. Structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, mass spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, X-ray crystallography, and elemental analyses. All of the synthesized compounds were evaluated for α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Compounds 3a, 3p, 3i, 3 h, 3k, 3o, and 3 g exhibited anti α-glucosidase inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ values of 57.5, 60.3, 65.9, 71.9, 80.8, 123.7, and 126.4 µM, respectively, which is quite comparable to the standard drug acarbose (IC₅₀ = 115.8 µM).     

Efficient Hydrogenation of Biomass Oxoacids to Lactones by Using NHC–Iridium Coordination Polymers as Solid Molecular Catalysts

A series of NHC–iridium coordination polymers have proven to be robust, efficient and recyclable solid molecular catalysts toward the hydrogenation of biomass levulinic acid (LA) to γ‐valerolactone. Along with quantitative yields attained at 0.01 mol % catalyst loading under 50 atm of H₂, the solid molecular catalyst was readily recovered and reused for 12 runs without obvious loss of the selectivity and activity. Remarkably, up to 1.2×10⁵ TON, an unprecedented value could be achieved in this important transformation. In addition, a number of LA homologues, analogues and derivatives were well tolerated to deliver various intriguing and functional lactones in good to excellent yields, which further confirmed the feasibility of the solid molecular catalysts.     

Syngas production from pyrolysis–catalytic steam reforming of waste biomass in a continuous screw kiln reactor

A two-stage continuous screw-kiln reactor was investigated for the production of synthesis gas (syngas) from the pyrolysis of biomass in the form of waste wood and subsequent catalytic steam reforming of the pyrolysis oils and gases. Four nickel based catalysts; NiO/Al₂O₃, NiO/CeO₂/Al₂O₃, NiO/SiO₂ (prepared by an incipient wetness method) and another NiO/SiO₂ (prepared by a sol–gel method), were synthesized and used in the catalytic steam reforming process. Pyrolysis of the biomass at a rapid heating rate of approximately 40 °C/s, was carried out at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C and the second stage reforming of the evolved pyrolysis gases was carried out with a catalytic bed kept at a temperature of 760 °C. Gases were analysed using gas chromatography while the fresh and reacted catalyst was analysed by scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The reactor design was shown to be effective for the pyrolysis and catalytic steam reforming of biomass with a maximum syngas yield of 54.0 wt.% produced when the sol–gel prepared NiO/SiO₂ catalyst was used, which had the highest surface area of 765 m² g⁻¹. The maximum H₂ production of 44.4 vol.% was obtained when the NiO/Al₂O₃ catalyst was used.     

Magnetic core–shell Fe3O4@C-SO3H nanoparticle catalyst for hydrolysis of cellulose

Catalytic hydrolysis of cellulose over solid acid catalysts is one of efficient pathways for the conversion of biomass into fuels and chemicals. High catalytic activity and easy separation from reaction media are two important factors for evaluating the performance of the solid acid catalysts for the cellulose hydrolysis. In this study, we report a core–shell Fe₃O₄@C-SO₃H nanoparticle with a magnetic Fe₃O₄ core encapsulated in a sulfonated carbon shell, as recyclable catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose. The sulfonated carbon shell shows a good activity, presenting 48.6 % cellulose conversion with 52.1 % glucose selectivity under the moderate conditions of 140 °C after 12 h reaction. Importantly, the magnetic Fe₃O₄ core makes the catalysts easily separated from reaction mixtures by using the externally applied magnetic field. In addition, the Fe₃O₄@C-SO₃H nanoparticle catalyst shows a high stability in the activity and magnetization during recycling tests, suggesting it a promising solid acid catalyst for the hydrolysis of cellulose.