Process Modeling of Comprehensive Integrated Forest Biorefinery—An Integrated Approach

The key to expanding the energy supply, increasing energy security, and reducing the dependency on foreign oil is to develop advanced technologies to efficiently transform our renewable bioresources into domestically produced bioenergy and bioproducts. Conventional biorefineries, i.e., forest products industry’s pulp and paper mills with long history of sustainable utilization of lignocellulose (wood), offer a suitable platform for being expanded into future integrated forest biorefineries. Due to the pre-existing infrastructure in current forest products operations, this could present a very cost-effective approach to future biorefineries. In order to better understand the overall process, technical, economic, and environmental impacts, a detailed process modeling of the whole integrated forest biorefinery is presented here. This approach uses a combination of Aspen Plus®, WinGEMS®, and Microsoft Excel® to simulate the entire biorefinery in detail with sophisticated communication interface between the three simulations. Preliminary results for a simple case study of an integrated biorefinery show the feasibility of this approach. Further investigations, including additional details, more process options, and complete integration, are currently underway.     

激光显微拉曼光谱仪在本科实验教学中的应用

拉曼光谱作为一种无损检测的指纹光谱是科研中的主要表征手段。激光显微拉曼光谱实验教学通过测试科研中的样品让学生了解拉曼测试的重要性以及科研的分析方法,构建科学研究和实验教学的桥梁。本实验课程同时安排创新探索实验,培养学生的自主学习兴趣和科研创新能力。通过本实验的学习,让学生们了解目前先进的分析手段和先进的大型仪器,有利于学生综合实验素质及科研能力的培养,为以后从事科学研究及相关工作所需综合能力的培养打下坚实的基础。     

A high-performance binder-free freestanding film anode constructed by Si/NC nanoparticles anchoring in 3D porous N-doped graphene-CNTs networks for Li-ion batteries

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - The Si-based flexible electrodes attracted increasing research interests owing to the growing demand for high-performance flexible energy storage devices....     

Canadian biomass reserves for biorefining

A lignocellulosic-based biorefining strategy may be supported by biomass reserves, created initially with residues from wood product processing or agriculture. Biomass reserves might be expanded using innovative management techniques that reduce vulnerability of feedstock in the forest products or agricultural supply chain. Forest-harvest residue removal, disturbance isolation, and precommercial thinnings might produce 20–33×10⁶ mt/yr of feedstock for Canadian biorefineries. Energy plantations on marginal Canadian farmland might produce another 9–20 mt. Biomass reserves should be used to support first-generation biorefining installations for bioethanol production, development of which will lead to the creation of future high-value coproducts. Suggestions for Canadian policy reform to support biomass reserves are provided.     

科研成果在有机化学教学中的渗透

将有机化学的研究前沿、热点领域及其应用引入到课堂教学中,不仅使教学内容更加丰富、生动、深入,还可以拓宽学生的知识面,激发学生学习有机化学的兴趣,提高学生学习的热情和积极性。结合多年来有机化学教学实践及接触的前沿、热点领域,列出科研成果在有机化学教学中渗透的几个具体实例。     

多孔炭的纳米结构及其解析

多孔炭是由超微粒子、表面、不规则结构以及纳米空间组成的混合体系, 其孔径范围以及超微粒子均在纳米尺度, 故而纳米结构包含两方面的内容: 纳米空间和纳米级粒子。对以上内容的研究和内在机理的阐明都是当今吸附领域研究的热点。本文就以上诸方面作一综述, 由此可能对深入理解吸附分离过程、阐明吸附模式、吸附机理等有一定的帮助。     

Photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction by photocatalyst innovation

The photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into sustainable fuel methanol using carbon quantum dots is highlighted in this paper. The multifaceted roles of carbon quantum dots in photocatalytic reactions and future directions of CQD materials are outlined.     

Aqueous synthesis of CdTe nanocrystals: progresses and perspectives

As an alternative choice to CdSe nanocrystals synthesized in organic phase, CdTe nanocrystals synthesized in aqueous solution, have attracted increasing research interests in recent years. This feature article summarizes the aqueous solution-based syntheses, some optoelectronic applications, and bioapplications of CdTe nanocrystals, with emphasis on the recent progresses in related fields.     

New tetraphenylpyridinium-based luminogens with aggregation-induced emission characteristics

The research on aggregation-induced emission (AIE) has drawn increasing interests in the past decade. With the efforts scientists paid, a variety of AIE systems have been developed, among which the tetraphenylethelene and silole derivatives are the most studied. Development of new AIE systems could further enrich the AIE molecules and promote the development of AIE area. In this communication, we prepared a new AIE system based on 1,2,4,6-tetraphenylpyridinium ions according to the restriction of intramolecular rotation mechanism. These molecules could be facilely synthesized via one-step and one-pot reaction. The ionic AIE-active molecules could find wide application in sensing and optoelectronic areas.     

Small-angle light scattering by random assemblies of incomplete spherulites. I. Sheaflike textures

The calculation of the scattering from a sheaflike sector of a two-dimensional spherulite has been carried out as a function of the apex angle of the sector. It is found that while for a complete spherulite the H_v scattered intensity is zero at zero scattering angle, there is an increasing intensity of scattering at 0° as the sector angle narrows. For very small values of the sector angle, the scattering becomes similar to that of a rod, with the exception that a scattering maximum is still seen at an angle close to that at which the spherulite scattering maximum occurs. The predictions of the model compare favorably with the scattering patterns observed for polymers in early stages of spherulitic growth.     

Regulatory and compliance activities to protect food-allergic consumers in Canada: research in support of standard setting and consumer protection

An overview is presented of the activities of Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in the area of food allergens. Since the 1990s, changes were made in the Food and Drug Regulations in order to better protect allergic consumers by imposing labeling requirements to clearly identify sources of priority food allergens in prepackaged foods. Policies of application as well as risk management strategies are discussed with some statistics on allergen-related food recalls in Canada for the years 1997--2001. Health Canada's allergen method development program is a pioneering research initiative that was developed in the early 1990s in support of the changing Canadian regulatory environment. The objectives and some of the accomplishments of this program are presented. The development of the Canadian Compendium of Allergen Methodologies under a Web-based application to compile data on evaluated allergen detection methods will provide further support to compliance activities nationally, as well as to the international analytical community in both government and the food industry. Some emerging techniques for the confirmation of results generated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are also discussed.     

European chemical industry's contribution to sustainable development

Chemical research and innovation is a key enabling factor in achieving a sustainable and equitable global society. The European chemical sector is a key player in the global chemical and pharmaceutical market and has been working to improve its own sustainability for many decades. Initiatives such as the European Technology Platform for Sustainable Chemistry are developing new solutions that will further reduce the environmental impact of the sector, while boosting its energy and resource efficiency, and introducing new materials and processes based on renewable resources for use by society. These innovative solutions catalyse sustainability in other sectors and value chains and will help realise concepts such as a truly circular economy. To effectively implement such solutions requires close cooperation between government, industry and research bodies.     

Plant Secondary Metabolites: An Opportunity for Circular Economy

Moving toward a more sustainable development, a pivotal role is played by circular economy and a smarter waste management. Industrial wastes from plants offer a wide spectrum of possibilities for their valorization, still being enriched in high added-value molecules, such as secondary metabolites (SMs). The current review provides an overview of the most common SM classes (chemical structures, classification, biological activities) present in different plant waste/by-products and their potential use in various fields. A bibliographic survey was carried out, taking into account 99 research articles (from 2006 to 2020), summarizing all the information about waste type, its plant source, industrial sector of provenience, contained SMs, reported bioactivities, and proposals for its valorization. This survey highlighted that a great deal of the current publications are focused on the exploitation of plant wastes in human healthcare and food (including cosmetic, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and food additives). However, as summarized in this review, plant SMs also possess an enormous potential for further uses. Accordingly, an increasing number of investigations on neglected plant matrices and their use in areas such as veterinary science or agriculture are expected, considering also the need to implement “greener” practices in the latter sector.     

碳量子点的制备及其在能源与环境领域应用进展

碳量子点(carbon quantum dots,CQDs)作为碳纳米材料家族的新成员引起了科学家广泛关注和极大的研究兴趣。 CQDs具有优良的光学特性、生物相容性及微弱的细胞毒性,在生物医药、生物传感器及光电子设备、环境及能源等领域中具有重要的应用。 本文从CQDs的制备方法出发,介绍了近年来发展的新型制备方法,讨论了其优缺点以及对所得CQDs在组成、结构和性质等方面的影响;基于CQDs独特的光学及电化学性能,重点介绍了CQDs在环境与能源领域的应用。 此外,对CQDs研究过程中存在的若干挑战进行了分析,提出了未来发展的一些思考和建议,为拓展CQDs多方面应用提供重要参考。     

Nanometer Polymer Latex and Its Application in Waterborne Coating

The nanometer materials have been attracting an increasing attention due to the wide applications of this kind of materials in the information technology, national defense, biotechnology, etc. The applications of nanotechnology have also injected impetus into the conventional industries such as coatings, plastics, rubber, adhesive, ceramics, cosmetics. As to coating industry, the nanotechnology has been providing the resulting coating with high performances as well as novel characteristics. The progress in this research field is raising the technology content and even promote the prosperity of this sector.     

A Basic Tutorial on Cyclic Voltammetry for the Investigation of Electroactive Microbial Biofilms

Electroactive microbial biofilms and the microorganisms embedded therein are not only of crucial fundamental interest because they play an important role in redox cycles that occur in nature, they are also attracting increasing attention as key component of microbial bioelectrochemcial systems (BES). In these systems, interconversion of chemical and electrical energy and the associated exchange of electrons between living microbial cells and solid electrodes take place. The fascinating prospects and promise of BES technology have considerably increased the research on electroactive microbial biofilms over recent years. As a consequence, the research community is truly multifaceted, with backgrounds and interests ranging from molecular biology, via chemistry, to engineering. One of the most‐important and most‐widespread applied electrochemical techniques is cyclic voltammetry (CV). This Focus Review illustrates the power of this electrochemical technique and the versatility of the information that can be gained by its application for the electrochemical freshman. This Review will also pinpoint hurdles in using this technique, especially for the non‐electrochemist, and the limitations of present models for data analysis. Because it aims to be a basic introduction, this Review will not discuss the latest intricacies in the field.     

油水分离用天然材料表面化学研究进展

油水乳液和油水混合物的分离对解决工业含油废水以及原油泄漏造成的污染问题具有重要的意义。近年来应用于油水分离的超润湿材料引起了广泛的关注,并展现出良好的应用前景。本文综述了近年来利用超润湿性低成本、环保的天然材料通过过滤和吸附技术分离油水乳液和混合物的研究进展。对于每一种天然材料,如沙粒、木材、椰子壳等,介绍了代表性的研究工作,阐述了其制备过程、润湿特性以及对油水混合物或者油水乳液的分离效果,并讨论了利用超亲水/水下超疏油、超疏水/超亲油两种类型的材料分离不混溶的油水混合物、"水包油"型乳液和"油包水"型乳液等三类油水混合物的物理化学机理。最后,对该领域的挑战和未来的发展方向进行了展望。     

Design of the optimal sector device and determination of its parameters in gas electron diffraction

This work presents a way to select the optimal form of the sector lobe and practical algorithms to determine the sector function of the device in use. Knowledge of the sector function enhances the quality of drawing a background line and ensures the division of multiplicative and additive noise components, thus increasing the reliability of structural parameters determined by gas electron diffraction.     

喷墨打印技术制备聚合物太阳能电池的研究进展

聚合物太阳能电池具有成本低、质量轻、容易制备大尺寸器件等优势,是太阳能电池研究中最为活跃的领域之一。喷墨打印技术作为新的成膜技术,具有材料利用率高、快速、可柔性加工等优点,已被用于聚合物太阳能电池的制备,发展潜力巨大。综述了聚合物太阳能电池、喷墨打印技术和喷墨打印技术制备聚合物太阳能电池的研究进展,同时对聚合物太阳能电...     

Silica‐Coated Metal Nanoparticles

The advanced high‐quality synthesis of dense and porous silica‐coated nanostructures is enjoying ever‐increasing research interests for their important properties and diverse applications, especially for catalytic, controlled release, colorimetric diagnostics, photothermal therapy, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection, and so forth. In this timely Focus Review, we summarize the up‐to‐date synthesis strategies, improved properties, and emerging applications of silica‐coated metal nanoparticles. In particular, the large scale synthesis of silica‐coated metal nanoparticles and the recent development of hollowed‐out silica‐coated metal nanoparticles by silica dissolution are emphasized for new and practical applications.