Predicting isotherms in micropores for different molecules and temperatures from a known isotherm by improved Horvath-Kawazoe equations

Our improved Horvath-Kawazoe (H-K) equations (by considering the isotherm nonlinearity) for three pore geometries are first summarized. These equations apply to adsorption in microporous materials at subcritical temperatures. From a known isotherm at a given temperature, these equations are used to predict isotherms of the same adsorbate molecules at other temperatures, and also to predict isotherms for other adsorbate molecules at the same (or any subcritical) temperature. A reasonable agreement is obtained between predictions and experimental data. Since the H-K formulation only involves dispersion forces, it underpredicts for gas-solid systems in which other forces also exist. The N₂-zeolite system is one of these systems.     

Estimation of the minimum pore size sufficient for capillary hysteresis

A procedure for determination of the minimum pore sizes suitable for the formation of an adsorption-desorption hysteresis loop was developed. Conditions for the formation of hysteresis in infinite rectangular channels and in the cavities restricted along three directions (spheres, rectangular parallelepipeds) and in channels with different cross-sections and limited lengths are considered. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 18–28, January, 2008.     

Adsorption of surfactants onto acrylic ester resins with different pore size distribution

In this study, a series of acrylic ester resins with different pore size distribution were prepared successfully by varying the type and the amount of pore-forming agents. In order to inves-tigate the adsorption behavior and mechanism of surfactants on acrylic ester resins, three kinds of surfactants were utilized as adsorbates that were sodium 6-dodecyl benzenesulfonate (6-NaDBS), sodium 1-dodecyl benzene sulfonate (1-NaDBS) and sodium 1-dodecyl sulfonate, respectively. It was observed that the surface area was available in a particular pore size and an appropriate pore size of resins appeared to be more important for the adsorption of surfactants. As compared to commercial acrylic ester resins XAD-7 and HP2MG, 50# and 38# resins exhibited more excellent adsorption properties toward 1-NaDBS and 6-NaDBS. The experimental equilibrium data were fitted to the Langmuir, and double-Langmuir models. Two models provided very good fittings for all resins over the temperature range studied. The investigation indicated that electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bond between resins and surfactants were the main forces and had an obvious effect on adsorption proc-ess.     

Features of nuclear magnetic relaxation of water and benzene molecules during absorption on activated carbons and estimation of pore size distribution in adsorbents

Nuclear magnetic relaxation in activated carbon—water and activated carbon—benzene adsorption systems was studied by pulse NMR methods. Activated carbons characterized by different porous structures and chemical state of the surface were used. The application of the three-pulse Goldman—Shen sequence to the adsorption system generates a dipole echo caused by the dipole-dipole coupling of structural protons, which is not averaged due to their mobility during experiment. The non-exponential character of relaxation attenuations of the transverse and longitudinal nuclear magnetizations of physically adsorbed molecules in activated carbon pores is a result of differencies in pore sizes. The pore sizes in activated carbon and the size distribution were determined from the data of nuclear magnetic relaxation with allowance for the contribution from the structural protons.     

竹炭为高效吸附剂的固相萃取分析环境水样中的痕量三氯生

建立了一种由竹炭作为固相萃取高效吸附剂富集环境水样中痕量三氯生的新方法. 研究并优化了几个影响富集效率的参数. 在优化条件下, 三氯生的检测限为0.08 μg/L, 在1～100 μg/L 范围内有良好的线性关系, 相对标准偏差为2.9% (n=7). 方法可应用于实际废水样品的分析.     

A polarizable force field for water using an artificial neural network

A force field for liquid water including polarization effects has been constructed using an artificial neural network (ANN). It is essential to include a many-body polarization effect explicitly into a potential energy function in order to treat liquid water which is dense and highly polar. The new potential energy function is a combination of empirical and nonempirical potentials. The TIP4P model was used for the empirical part of the potential. For the nonempirical part, an ANN with a back-propagation of error algorithm (BPNN) was introduced to reproduce the complicated many-body interaction energy surface from ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. BPNN, described in terms of a matrix, provides enough flexibility to describe the complex potential energy surface (PES). The structural and thermodynamic properties, calculated by isobaric-isothermal (constant-NPT) Monte Carlo simulations with the new polarizable force field for water, are compatible with experimental results. Thus, the simulation establishes the validity of using our estimated PES with a polarization effect for accurate predictions of liquid state properties. Applications of this approach are simple and systematic so that it can easily be applied to the development of other force fields besides the water-water system.     

Preconcentration and determination of naphthalene in air and water using activated carbon adsorption,carbon disulfide extraction and gas chromatography

A new method for the determination of naphthalene in air and water has been developed. The naphthalene was preconcentrated using activated carbon adsorption with carbon disulfide extraction and determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. The chromatographic peak of naphthalene was separated well from the potential interferents turpentine, terpenene, isoborneol, camphor and isobornyl acetate. The detection limit was 0.52 g/ml of CS₂, equivalent to 2.6 g/m³ of air or 0.05 g/ml in 50 ml of water. The precision for 10 g/ml naphthalene was 1.7%. The adsorption capacity, sampling efficiency and desorption efficiency of 100 mg of activated carbon for naphthalene in air were 8.8 mg, 98.8% and 95.2%, respectively. The extraction efficiency of 5 ml of carbon disulfide for naphthalene in water was 97.6%. The method was successfully applied to the determination of naphthalene in air and water from an industrial plant.     

Process optimization of preparing spherical titania colloids with uniform distribution using artificial neural networks

Optimal operating variables for preparing submicron uniform titania colloids were estimated using the artificial neural networks (ANN) modeling and the process optimization algorithms. Titania colloids were synthesized by a sol–gel method using mixture recipes of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP), NH₃, and H₂O with ethanol/acetonitrile under temperature-controlled conditions. Different sets of the operating variables, such as [NH₃], [H₂O], and reaction temperature, were selected within an operating range to carry out Design of Experiment to evaluate the prepared particle size (PS) and the particle size distribution (PSD) data. The relationship between the operating variables and PS and PSD of the prepared samples can be constructed by an ANN modeling approach. The built ANN model was then used to predict PS and PSD values corresponding to the operating variables. The optimal operating conditions to fabricate different PS values with narrow PSD were determined by the ANN model with the optimization method. Meanwhile, the monodispersed colloids between 150 and 400 nm were fabricated using the determined optimal operating conditions.     

Heat capacity of water in poly(methyl methacrylate) hydrogel membrane for an artificial kidney

The heat capacities of a poly(methyl methacrylate) hydrogel membrane for an artificial kidney have been determined over the range of temperatures from 228 to 298 K as a function of water content. At least two kinds of water were found: freezable water and nonfreezable water. The partial specific heat capacities of both waters were calculated from the dependence of heat capacity of the hydrogel on the water content. The heat capacities of freezable water were estimated to be 1.04 cal g⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 298 K and 0.47 cal g⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 228 K. The mobility must therefore be similar to that of bulk water at 298 K, though the melting temperature was lower than that of bulk water. Consequently, the freezable water was not assigned to bound water but to pore water for which the melting temperature was depressed due to interfacial tension. On the other hand, the heat capacities of nonfreezable water were estimated to be 1.02 cal g⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 298 K and 1.06 cal g⁻¹ K⁻¹ at 228 K. The mobility of the water would be similar to that of free water at both 298 and 228 K. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis of activated carbon foams with high specific surface area using polyurethane elastomer templates for effective removal of methylene blue

Carbon foams have gained significant attention due to their tuneable properties that enable a wide range of applications including catalysis, energy storage and wastewater treatment. Novel synthesis pathways enable novel applications via yielding complex, hierarchical material structure. In this work, activated carbon foams (ACFs) were produced from waste polyurethane elastomer templates using different synthesis pathways, including a novel one-step method. Uniquely, the produced foams exhibited complex structure and contained carbon microspheres. The ACFs were synthesized by impregnating the elastomers in an acidified sucrose solution followed by direct activation using CO₂ at 1000 ℃. Different pyrolysis and activation conditions were investigated. The ACFs were characterized by a high specific surface area (S_BET) of 2172 m²/g and an enhanced pore volume of 1.08 cm³/g. Computer tomography and morphological studies revealed an inhomogeneous porous structure and the presence of numerous carbon spheres of varying sizes embedded in the porous network of the three-dimensional carbon foam. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the obtained carbon foam was amorphous and of turbostratic structure. Moreover, the activation process enhanced the surface of the carbon foam, making it more hydrophilic via altering pore size distribution and introducing oxygen functional groups. In equilibrium, the adsorption of methylene blue on ACF followed the Langmuir isotherm model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 592 mg/g. Based on these results, the produced ACFs have potential applications as adsorbents, catalyst support and electrode material in energy storage systems.     

A new method for determining droplet size distribution of an unstable dispersion

The droplet size distribution (DSD) of unstable water/oil dispersions has been studied with a new technique. The technique is based on a fast dilution of the dispersion injected into an analysis vessel where the DSD is analyzed with a video camera and a image analyzing tool. Dispersions generated with no pressure drop in the flow rig were compared to those generated with a pressure drop over a needle valve. The latter dispersion showed a much narrower DSD and a lower average droplet diameter. The results are from preliminary experiments in order to evaluate the method.     

Promotion effect of adsorbed water/OH on the catalytic performance of Ag/activated carbon catalysts for CO preferential oxidation in excess H2

Activated carbon (AC) supported silver catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method and their catalytic performance for CO preferential oxidation (PROX) in excess H₂ was evaluated. Ag/AC catalysts, after reduction in H₂ at low temperatures (≤200 °C) following heat treatment in He at 200 °C (He200H200), exhibited the best catalytic properties. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) results indicated that silver oxides were produced during heat treatment in He at 200 °C which were reduced to metal silver nanoparticles in H₂ at low temperatures (≤200 °C), simultaneously generating the adsorbed water/OH. CO conversion was enhanced 40% after water treatment following heat treatment in He at 600 °C. These results imply that the metal silver nanoparticles are the active species and the adsorbed water/OH has noticeable promotion effects on CO oxidation. However, the promotion effect is still limited compared to gold catalysts under the similar conditions, which may be the reason of low selectivity to CO oxidation in PROX over silver catalysts. The reported Ag/AC-S-He catalyst after He200H₂00 treatment displayed similar PROX of CO reaction properties to Ag/SiO₂. This means that Ag/AC catalyst is also an efficient low-temperature CO oxidation catalyst.     

Ammonia, cyclohexane, nitrogen and water adsorption capacities of an activated carbon impregnated with increasing amounts of ZnCl(2), and designed to chemisorb gaseous NH(3) from an air stream

The adsorption capacity of ZnCl(2)-impregnated activated carbon (AC) for NH(3) is reported in terms of stoichiometric ratio of reaction (NH(3) per ZnCl(2)). This ratio depends on the testing conditions used. Compared to the ratio obtained under dry conditions, the ratio is higher under humid conditions or increased NH(3) concentrations. The linear increase of the NH(3) capacity with increasing loading of ZnCl(2) breaks down at about 3.5 mmol ZnCl(2)/g AC. This behavior is explained in terms of preferential adsorption of a monolayer of salt followed by aggregation of the impregnant once a monolayer is completed. The effect of increasing the loading of ZnCl(2) on the capacity for gases for which the impregnants are not intended, namely cyclohexane, nitrogen, and water vapor, is also discussed. A break in the linear relationship between water capacity and impregnant loading at about 3.5 mmol ZnCl(2) seems to correspond to a full monolayer coverage of ZnCl(2) on AC. The monolayer of ZnCl(2) is shown to reduce the uptake of water into AC, while the ZnCl(2) aggregates are shown to be hydrophilic.