Upgrading of woody biomass by torrefaction under pressure

In this study, the upgrading by torrefaction of leucaena, woody biomass, at 200–250 °C under volumetric pressure up to 4 MPa was examined. It was found that the yield of torrefied leucaena decreased with the increase in torrefaction temperature, whereas at the same temperature the yield of torrefied leucaena increased with the increase in torrefaction pressure. From the elemental analyses, the higher carbon content in torrefied leucaena can be achieved by the rising of torrefaction pressure. As large as 92.6% of carbon was recovered in the torrefied leucaena prepared at 250 °C and 4 MPa. On the other hand, the oxygen content decreased to 31.1% for the leucaena torrefied at 250 °C and 4 MPa. The higher heating value (HHV) of leucaena torrefied at high pressure increased significantly when compared to that of leucaena torrefied at atmospheric pressure. As large as 94.3% of energy yield was achieved with the mass yield of 74.4% for the torrefaction at 250 °C and 4 MPa. From the subsequent pyrolysis and combustion in TGA, leucaena torrefied under pressure showed the difference of weight decreasing curves comparing to that of leucaena torrefied at atmospheric pressure. It was found that the weight of leucaena torrefied at high pressure started to decrease at temperature lower than 200 °C. The char yield at 800 °C for the leucaena torrefied at high pressure increased with the increase in torrefaction pressure. These results suggested that the structure of leucaena was changed by the torrefaction under pressure and the cross-linking reactions during the pyrolysis were enhanced by the pressure during the torrefaction resulting in increase in char yields. The substantial increase in char combustion rate was also found for leucaena torrefied under pressure.     

Identification of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl binding affinity and binding site subdomain IIA in human serum albumin by spectroscopic methods

Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl (PY) is a sulfonylurea herbicide developed by DuPont which has been widely used for weed control in cereals. The determination of PY binding affinity and binding site in human serum albumin (HSA) by spectroscopic methods is the subject of this work. From the fluorescence emission, circular dichroism and three-dimensional fluorescence results, the interaction of PY with HSA caused secondary structure changes in the protein. Fluorescence data demonstrated that the quenching of HSA fluorescence by PY was the result of the formation of HSA–PY complex at 1:1 molar ratio, a static mechanism was confirmed to lead to the fluorescence quenching. Hydrophobic probe 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) displacement results show that hydrophobic patches are the major sites for PY binding on HSA. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated to be ?36.32 kJ mol^?1 and ?35.91 J mol^?1 K^?1, which illustrated van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds interactions were the dominant intermolecular force in stabilizing the complex. Also, site marker competitive experiments showed that the binding of PY to HSA took place primarily in subdomain IIA (Sudlow's site I). What presented in this paper binding research enriches our knowledge of the interaction between sulfonylurea herbicides and the physiologically important protein HSA.     

Solubility measurement of α-asarone in supercritical carbon dioxide

The solubility of α-asarone in supercritical CO₂ (sc-CO₂) has been measured using the dynamic method. The measurement was conducted in the pressure range from 9.0 to 18.0 MPa at temperature 35–49 °C. The experimental data were correlated using the Chrastil model. The results show that the solubility increases as the pressure rises and decreases as the temperature rises, which is well correlated with the Chrastil model.     

Nearcritical and supercritical ethanol as a benign solvent: polarity and hydrogen-bonding

Nearcritical (NC) and supercritical (SC) ethanol may offer novel media for both chemical reactions and separations as a replacement for environmentally undesirable organic solvents. We investigated the dipolarity/polarizability, hydrogen-bond donating acidity and accepting basicity in terms of Kamlet–Taft solvatochromism parameters π¹, α and β in saturated liquid ethanol from 25 to 225 °C and in gaseous and SC ethanol at 250 °C as a function of pressure. Reichardt’s E_T(30) scale was determined for ethanol under the same conditions. NC and SC ethanol has a wide range of solvent strength, which can be readily and continuously tuned by temperature and pressure. Liquid ethanol becomes nearly nonpolar as the temperature increases towards its critical point. The dipolarity/polarizability for SC ethanol ranges from gas-like to nonpolar liquid-like with increasing pressure. On the other hand, ethanol maintains significant hydrogen-bond donating acidity even under the supercritical conditions at 250 °C and at pressures up to 18.7 MPa. The hydrogen-bond accepting basicity, however, is considerably weakened at elevated temperatures. These well-established solvent parameters greatly improve our understanding of hot compressible ethanol, and allow us to explore the feasibility of using it in a variety of benign processes.     

Studies on the interaction between imidacloprid and human serum albumin: Spectroscopic approach

The interaction between imidacloprid (IMI) and human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated using fluorescence and UV/vis absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence quenching of HSA by IMI was a result of the formation of IMI–HSA complex; static quenching was confirmed to result in the fluorescence quenching. The apparent binding constant K_A between IMI and HSA at three differences were obtained to be 1.51 × 10⁴, 1.58 × 10⁴, and 2.19 × 10⁴ L mol^?1, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH° and ΔS° were estimated to be 28.44 kJ mol^?1, 174.76 J mol^?1 K^?1 according to the van’t Hoff equation. Hydrophobic interactions played a major role in stabilizing the complex. The distance r between donor (HSA) and acceptor (IMI) was obtained according to fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The effect of IMI on the conformation of HSA was analyzed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy CD and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, the environment around Trp and Tyr residues were altered.     

Probing the binding of fluoxetine hydrochloride to human serum albumin by multispectroscopic techniques

The interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX) have been studied by using different spectroscopic techniques viz., fluorescence, UV–vis absorption, circular dichroism and FTIR under simulated physiological conditions. Fluorescence results revealed the presence of static type of quenching mechanism in the binding of FLX to HSA. The values of binding constant, K of FLX-HSA were evaluated at 289, 300 and 310 K and were found to be 1.90 × 10³, 1.68 × 10³ and 1.45 × 10³ M^?1, respectively. The number of binding sites, n was noticed to be almost equal to unity thereby indicating the presence of a single class of binding site for FLX on HSA. Based on the thermodynamic parameters, ΔH⁰ and ΔS⁰ nature of binding forces operating between HSA and FLX were proposed. Spectral results revealed the conformational changes in protein upon interaction. Displacement studies indicated the site I as the main binding site for FLX on HSA. The effect of common ions on the binding of FLX to HSA was also investigated.     

Studies of dielectric characteristics of BaBi2Nb2O9 ferroelectrics prepared by chemical precursor decomposition method

BaBiNb₂O₉ (BBN) powders in the nanometer range were prepared by chemical precursor decomposition method (CPD). TG–DTA showed that precursor sample got freed from organic contaminants at 575 °C. XRD showed that a single phase with the layered perovskite structure of BBN was formed after calcining at 600 °C. No intermediate phase was found during heat treatment at and above 600 °C. The crystallite size (D) and the effective strain (η) were found to be 26 nm and 0.000867, respectively, while the particle size obtained from TEM was 28 ± 2 nm. SEM revealed that the average grain size after sintering at 900 °C for 4 h was ∼1.67 μm. A relative density of ∼93% was obtained using a two-step sintering process at moderate pressure. Dielectric and ferroelectric properties were investigated in the temperature range 50–500 °C and frequencies from 1 kHz to 5 MHz. Strong dispersion of the complex relative dielectric constant was observed including typical relaxor features such as shift of permittivity maximum with frequency and broadening of the peak maximum. The high dielectric constant of 545 measured at 100 kHz and other properties of BBN ceramics were compared to that of BBN prepared by other conventional methods and found to be superior.     

Effects of calcination and activation temperature on dry reforming catalysts

The effect of calcination temperatures on dry reforming catalysts supported on high surface area alumina Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ (SA-6175) was studied experimentally. In this study, the prepared catalyst was tested in a micro tubular reactor using temperature ranges of 500, 600, 700 and 800 °C at atmospheric pressure, using a total flow rate of 33 ml/min consisting of 3 ml/min of N₂, 15 ml/min of CO₂ and 15 ml/min of CH₄. The calcination was carried out in the range of 500–900 °C. The catalyst is activated inside the reactor at 500–800 °C using hydrogen gas. It was observed that calcination enhances catalyst activity which increases as calcination and reaction temperatures were increased. The highest conversion was obtained at 800 °C reaction temperature by using catalyst calcined at 900 °C and activation at 700 °C. The catalyst characterization conducted supported the observed experimental results.     

Biomass torrefaction under different oxygen concentrations and its effect on the composition of the solid by-product

Torrefaction is a thermal treatment used to improve the properties of biomass in relation to thermo-chemical processing techniques for energy generation. It is a thermo-chemical treatment method primarily characterized by an operating temperature within the 200–300 °C range. It is carried out under conditions of atmospheric pressure and in the presence of a minimum amount of oxygen in order to avoid spontaneous combustion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of the temperature (240 and 280 °C) and oxygen concentration (2, 6, 10 and 21%) on the physical and chemical properties of large particles of Eucalyptus grandis. A statistical analysis was carried out. The different oxygen concentrations did not significantly affect the composition of the solid by-product for low temperatures. At 280 °C, the high oxygen concentration affected some of the properties studied.     

A new calcium trimellitate coordination polymer with a chain-like structure

The calcium trimellitate, Ca(H₂O)[(O₂C)₂–C₆H₃–CO₂H], was hydrothermally synthesized from a mixture of calcium hydroxide, 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic (or trimellitic) acid and water at 180 °C for 24 h (under autogenous pressure). Its crystal structure has been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis using synchrotron radiation (station 9.8, SRS Daresbury, UK). It consists of infinite chains of calcium bicapped trigonal prismatic polyhedra connected to each other through the 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylate ligand. The eight-fold coordinated calcium cation is bonded to one terminal water molecule, two carboxylate groups with a chelating conformation and three carboxylate groups in a monodentating mode. One of the monodentate carboxylate is terminal with the occurrence of protonated C–OH bonding.Triclinic space group P-1 with a = 6.9073(4) Å, b = 6.9917(4) Å, c = 10.3561(6) Å, α = 87.178(1)°, β = 83.233(1)°, γ = 69.576(1)°, V = 465.41(5) Å³.     

Temperature effect on the chemical composition of a polytetrafluoroethylene surface under the irradiation of synchrotron radiation by means of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The chemical composition and components of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface was investigated as a function of the temperature under the irradiation of synchrotron radiation (SR) by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). When the temperature of PTFE under the SR irradiation was less than 100 °C, the C-rich surface appeared. With increasing the temperature more than 150 °C, the relative intensity of the F 1s peak to the C 1s peak increased markedly. At the temperatures of 150–180 °C, the C–C component became small and the CF₂ component was dominant. With further increasing the temperature more than 200 °C, CF₃, CF and C–CF components grew in addition to CF₂ component. Based on these XPS results, the temperature effect on the chemical composition and components is discussed.     

Albumin-mediated asymmetric nitroaldol reaction of aromatic aldehydes with nitromethane in water

We succeeded in the asymmetric nitroaldol (Henry) reaction of aromatic aldehydes with nitromethane using human serum albumin (HSA) in water at neutral pH. The reaction of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde smoothly proceeded for 24 h at 30 °C to afford the corresponding (R)-2-nitro-1-(4-nitrophenyl)ethanol (27% ee). Lowering the reaction temperature to 0 °C improved the enantioselectivity (53% ee). Although the denatured HSA also catalyzed the coupling reaction, no enantioselectivity was observed. The reaction was also applicable to other substrates bearing various substitutions on the benzene ring, and the ee of (R)-1-(biphenyl-4-yl)-2-nitroethanol was up to 79% ee.     

An investigation of the effect of microwave treatment on the structure and unfolding pathways of β-lactoglobulin using FTIR spectroscopy with the application of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS)

Microwave treatment of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) in D₂O solution under various conditions was monitored by Fourier transform mid infrared (mid-FTIR) spectroscopy. At sub-ambient temperatures, no microwave-induced changes in the conformation of the protein were detected. Microwave heating of the β-Lg solutions to temperatures in the range of 40–60 °C resulted in a marked increase in the rate of hydrogen–deuterium (H–D) exchange as compared to conventional heating at the same temperature. At heating temperatures in the range of 70–90 °C, the microwave-heated solutions exhibited more extensive protein aggregation than conventionally heated solutions. Application of two-dimensional (2D) correlation analysis to the Fourier self-deconvolved FTIR spectra recorded as a function of number of cycles of microwave or conventional heating revealed that the unfolding pathway of β-Lg was different in these two temperature ranges (40–60 °C versus 70–90 °C) but was similar in both microwave – treated and conventionally heated samples. Nevertheless, within the temperature range of 70–90 °C microwave treatment accelerated the unfolding of β-lactoglobulin.     

Hydrothermal hot-pressing induced phase transition in hexagonal boron nitride

The phase transition of hBN nanocrystals induced by hydrothermal hot-pressing process has been investigated by XRD, FTIR, TEM and HRTEM. It was found that a phase transition of hBN → tBN → aBN occurred with increasing hot-pressing temperature, i.e., hBN transformed into tBN at above 270 °C, and followed by another transformation from tBN to aBN at 310 °C. In addition, FTIR spectra and HRTEM images indicate that a small amount of cBN formed directly from the amorphous BN matrix at 75 MPa and 310 °C. This phenomenon is similar to what happened in conventional high temperature and high pressure method, which is believed to promote the phase transition from hBN to cBN.     

Thermal stability of fatty acids in subcritical water

In this work, hydrolytic reaction conditions of various temperatures (300–370 °C) and times (0–30 min) at a constant pressure of 20 MPa were applied to the thermal decomposition of three kinds of fatty acids (FAs), stearic acid, oleic acid, and linoleic acid, in subcritical water. The degradation characteristics were investigated from the derived data, and the thermal stability of FAs in subcritical water was estimated. The primary reactions we observed were isomerization and pyrolysis of FAs. The main pathway of degradation was deduced by analyzing the contents of pyrolyzed products. We found that more saturated FAs have greater thermal stability in subcritical water. All FAs remained stable at 300 °C or below. Based on these results, we recommend that hydrolysis of vegetable oils and fats using subcritical water should be carried out below 300 °C (at 20 MPa) and for less than 30 min to obtain high-yield FA production.     

Thermodynamic characterization of proflavine–DNA binding through microcalorimetric studies

The interaction of an important acridine dye, proflavine hydrochloride, with double stranded DNA was investigated using isothermal titration calorimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. The equilibrium constant for the binding reaction was calculated to be (1.60 ± 0.04) · 10⁵ · M⁻¹ at T = 298.15 K. The binding of proflavine hydrochloride to DNA was favored by both negative enthalpy and positive entropy contributions to the Gibbs energy. The equilibrium constant for the binding reaction decreased with increasing temperature. The standard molar enthalpy change became increasingly negative while the standard molar entropy change became less positive with rise in temperature. However, the standard molar Gibbs free energy change varied marginally suggesting the occurrence of enthalpy–entropy compensation phenomenon. The binding reaction was dominated by non-polyelectrolytic forces which remained virtually unchanged at all the salt concentrations studied. The binding also significantly increased the thermal stability of DNA against thermal denaturation.     

Enhanced electrical conductivity in Ce0.79Gd0.20Co0.01O2−δ for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell applications

Very high electrical conductivity of ～0.021 S/cm at 600 °C is obtained in Ce_0.79Gd_0.20Co_0.01O_2?δ. Corresponding activation energy of conduction ～0.43 eV measured in the temperature range of 400–700 °C is found to be notably low. Improved electrical properties with 99% of the theoretical density as obtained for these specimens, prepared using powder of average particle size ～20 nm and subsequent sintering at 1100 °C, is considered to be a significant step to reduce the processing temperature. The measured electrical potential of ～1 V indicates the suitability of its use as an electrolyte in electrochemical devices.     

Structural changes in coal chars after pressurized pyrolysis

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of pressure on the structural properties and subsequent reactivity of coal chars. Pyrolysis reactions were carried out in a fixed bed reactor by varying the pressure up to 2.0 MPa. Two coal samples with a substantial difference in the swelling index were used for the analysis. Pyrolysis experiments were carried out at 800 °C for 30 min after heating the sample at a constant rate of 20 °C/min and some samples were pyrolyzed at 900 °C and 0.1 MPa for comparison. Structural analysis of the coal chars was performed using Raman microscopy; this characterization was complemented by scanning electron microscopy analysis, gas adsorption and reactivity towards molecular oxygen in a thermogravimetric equipment. Characteristic Raman bands of coal chars exhibited significant changes from 0.1 to 0.5 MPa, after this pressure no significant changes were observed with pressure increments. The pyrolysis pressure showed to have an influence in the ordering of the carbonaceous structures through the deconvoluted Raman spectra.     

Thermogravimetric and FTIR studies of chitosan blends

Results of spectrophotometric and thermogravimetric studies of chitosan (CH) blends with polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL), starch (S) and hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) obtained by casting from solutions in the form of transparent films containing 0–1.0 weight fraction of CH were discussed. Blends containing S are homogeneous only in the case of low-weight fraction of S (to 0.3).On the basis of results of thermodegradation in dynamic and isothermal conditions, thermal stability of the tested systems was estimated. Thermogravimetric measurements in dynamic conditions were carried out in the temperature range of 100–450 °C at constant heating rate 15 °C/min. From thermogravimetry (TG) and DTG curves the activation energy and characteristic parameters of degradation of the tested blends were determined. The observed growth of activation energy and T_p—temperature of initial weight loss, T_max—temperature of maximal rate and C_e—degree of conversion at the end of the measurement (at temperature 450 °C) along with the increase of polymer fraction (HPC and S) in the CH blend provides an evidence of improved thermal stability of the systems tested.Investigations in isothermal conditions in air at temperature from 100 to 200 °C confirmed appreciable improvement of CH thermal stability in the blends being tested.Infrared spectroscopic analysis of the blends showed a distinct stabilization of the process of chain scission. In the band at 1080 cm⁻¹ associated with absorption in –C–O–C– group during degradation of the blends at temperature 200 °C much smaller decrease due to molecular scission were observed than in the case of pure CH.     

Tuning the DNA binding modes of an anthracene derivative with salt

The DNA binding properties of an anthracene derivative with substituents at the 9 and 10 positions, carrying four positive charges, are examined in calorimetric, spectroscopic and photocleavage studies. Isothermal titration calorimetric data indicated exothermic binding of the ligand to calf thymus DNA with a binding constant of (1.4 ± 0.5) × 10⁵ M⁻¹ and this value is much greater than binding of similar monocationic derivatives. The values for the other binding parameters were, ΔH = −3.5 ± 0.4 kcal/mol; ΔS = 11.6 ± 1.6 cal/mol K, and a binding site size of ∼4 base pairs. Absorption spectral studies indicated small, but significant red shifts in the vibronic bands, and ∼70% of hypochromism. The binding plots indicated bi-phasic binding of the ligand. At higher ionic strengths, the red shifts in the absorption spectra were abolished but significant hypochromism persisted.Excitation and sensitized fluorescence spectral studies indicated weak energy transfer from the DNA bases to the ligand. Further more, energy transfer was reduced substantially at higher ionic strengths. Strong induced circular dichroism bands are noted, in the 300–400 nm region, and these are most likely dominated by the contributions from the groove bound form as well as the intercalated chromophore. Helix melting studies indicated improvement in the helix stability, and substantial increase in the melting temperature (ΔT_m > 17 °C). Differential scanning calorimetric data, on the other hand, indicated only minor improvements in the thermodynamic parameters. Irradiation of a mixture of the ligand (2 μM) and supercoiled pUC18 DNA (20 μM, @374 nm) resulted in the efficient formation of nicked circular DNA (>90%) in an hour. The data indicated at least two distinct binding modes, and one of these persisted at high ionic strengths (375 mM NaCl). Substitution at 9 and 10 positions of the anthracene ring system with positively charged residues resulted in multiple binding modes, and these are resolvable in ionic strength studies.