Silymarin extraction from milk thistle using hot water

Hot water is attracting attention as an extraction solvent in the recovery of compounds from plant material as the search for milder and “greener” solvents intensifies. The use of hot water as an extraction solvent for milk thistle at temperatures above 100°C was explored. The maximum extraction yield of each of the silymarin compounds and taxifolin did not increase with temperature, most likely because significant compound degradation occurred. However, the time required for the yields of the compounds to reach their maxima was reduced from 200 to 55 min when the extraction temperature was increased from 100 to 140°C. Severe degradation of unprotected (plant matrix not present) silymarin compounds was observed and first-order degradation kinetics were obtained at 140°C.     

Thermal behaviour of cephalexin in different mixtures

The thermoanalytical curves (TA), i.e. TG, DTG and DTA for pure cephalexin and its mixtures with talc, magnesium stearate, starch and microcrystalline cellulose, respectively, were drawn up in air and nitrogen at a heating rate of 10 °C min⁻¹. The thermal degradation was discussed on the basis of EGA data obtained for a heating rate of 20 °C min⁻¹. Until 250 °C, the TA curves are similar for all mixtures, up this some peculiarities depending on the additive appears. These certify that between the pure cephalosporin and the excipients do not exists any interaction until 250 °C. A kinetic analysis was performed using the TG/DTG data in air for the first step of cephalexin decomposition at four heating rates: 5, 7, 10 and 12 °C min⁻¹. The data processing strategy was based on a differential method (Friedman), an integral method (Flynn–Wall–Ozawa) and a nonparametric kinetic method (NPK). This last one allowed an intrinsic separation of the temperature, respective conversion dependence on the reaction rate and less speculative discussions on the kinetic model. All there methods had furnished very near values of the activation energy, this being an argument for a single thermooxidative degradation at the beginning (192–200 °C).     

Study of degradation kinetics of sunflower oil on H-Beta zeolite

In this study, were studied the degradation of pure sunflower oil and mixed with H-Beta zeolite. This zeolite was synthesized by the hydrothermal method, followed by calcination and ion exchanged. The characterization of the zeolite was performed by X-ray diffraction and nitrogen adsorption/desorption by the method of BET. The analysis showed that H-Beta zeolite presented a good crystallinity and the template was completely removed from the catalyst. The thermal and catalytic degradation study was carried out using the TG/DTG method in multiple heating rates of 5, 10, and 20 °C min⁻¹. The isoconversion method proposed by Vyazovkin was applied to determine the kinetic parameters for degradation of the sunflower oil. The activation energy for the degradation process of pure sunflower oil was 193 kJ mol⁻¹, while for sunflower oil mixed with 20% of H-Beta zeolite was equivalent to 88 kJ mol⁻¹. It was verified that for the degradation of 90% of the sunflower oil mixed with H-Beta, for a period of 1 h, a temperature of 356 °C was required, whereas for the pure vegetable oil, this value was of 387 °C, at the same time period, showing that the catalyst was effective for the degradation process of sunflower oil.     

Experiment of subcritical water (Fenton) oxidation treatment of methyl vanillin wastewater

In this paper the oxidative degradation process of methyl vanillin wastewater was studied by the subcritical water oxidation (HCWO) technology. A subcritical Fenton oxidation (HCFO) system formed while Fe²⁺ was added as a catalyst. The oxidation degradation kinetics of methyl vanillin wastewater was also studied. The results showed that the suitable process conditions for degradation of methyl vanillin wastewater by HCWO were as follows: temperature of 340 ​°C, pressure of 24 ​MPa, oxidant multiple of 1.5, residence time of 217.3 ​s (flow rate of 2.0 ​mL ​min^-1). For methyl vanillin wastewater, the HCFO system has no obvious advantages compared to the HCWO system. The activation energy (Ea) of HCWO oxidized methyl vanillin wastewater reaction was 32.6 ​kJ ​mol^-1, and the pre-exponential factor A was 5.64 s^-1.     

Kinetic study of degradation of heavy oil over MCM-41

Thermogravimetry was applied in order to investigate the catalytic degradation of heavy oil (15.4^oAPI) over silica-based MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve. This material was synthesised by the hydrothermal method, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as organic template. The physicochemical characterization by nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, and thermogravimetry, showed that the obtained material presents well-defined structure, with a uniform hexagonal arrangement. The thermal and catalytic degradation of heavy oil was performed by thermogravimetric measurements, in the temperature range from 30 to 900 °C, at heating rates of 5, 10, and 20 °C min⁻¹. By using the model-free kinetics, proposed by Vyazovkin, it was determined that the activation energy to degrade the heavy oil was ca. 128 kJ mol⁻¹, and for degradation of oil in presence of MCM-41, this value decreased to 69 kJ mol⁻¹, indicating the performance of the mesoporores catalyst for the degradation process.     

Synthesis and characterization of some Schiff-base-containing polyimides

The diamine, 4-aminophenyloxy-N-4-[(4-amiophenyloxy)benzylidene]aniline, was prepared via the nucleophilic substitution reaction and was polymerized with different dianhydrides either by one-step solution polymerization reaction or two-step procedure. The latter includes ring-opening polyaddition to give poly(amic acid), followed by cyclodehydration to polyimides. The inherent viscosity ranges from 0.61–0.79 dl/g. Some of the polymers were soluble in most of the organic solvents such as DMSO, DMF, DMAc, NMP, and m-cresol even at room temperature. The degradation temperature of the resultant polymers falls in the ranges from 240–500 °C in nitrogen with only 10% weight loss. Specific heat capacity at 200 °C ranges from 1.0929–2.6275 J g⁻¹ k⁻¹. The temperature at which the maximum degradation of the polymer occurs ranges from 600–630 °C. The glass transition temperature (Tg) values of the polyimides ranged from 185 to 272 °C. The activation energy and enthalpy of the polyimides ranged from 47.5–55.0 kJ/mole and 45.7–53.0 kJ/mole and the moisture absorption in the range of 0.23–0.72%.     

Effect of the AL-MCM-41 catalyst on the catalytic pyrolysis of atmospheric petroleum residue (ATR)

Thermogravimetry (TG) was used in this study to evaluate thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of Atmospheric Petroleum Residue (ATR) which can be found in the state of Rio Grande do Norte/Brazil, after a process of atmospheric distillation of petroleum. The utilized sample in the process of catalytic pyrolysis was Al-MCM-41, a mesoporous material. The procedures for obtaining the thermogravimetric curves were performed in a thermobalance with heating rates of 5, 10, and 20 °C min⁻¹. From TG, the activation energy was determined using the Flynn–Wall kinetic method, which decreased from 161 kJ mol⁻¹, for the pure ATR, to 71 kJ mol⁻¹, in the presence of the Al-MCM-41, showing the efficiency of the catalyst in the pyrolysis of Atmospheric Petroleum Residue.     

Kinetic study of pyrolysis of waste water treatment plant sludge

Activated sewage sludge samples obtained from two different waste water treatment plants were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis. Due to a very high content of water in the sludge samples, these had to be dried at 160°C in an electrical oven in order to remove all adsorbed water. To ensure pyrolysis conditions, nitrogen atmosphere was applied. The pyrolysis decomposition process was carried out in the temperature range from ambient temperature to 900°C at three different heating rates: 2 K min⁻¹, 5 K min⁻¹, 10 K min⁻¹. TGA and DTG curves of the decomposition processes were obtained. Temperature of onset decomposition, final temperature of decomposition, maximum decomposition rate, and decomposition temperature were determined by thermogravimetric analysis for both sludge samples used. The main decomposition process takes place at temperatures in the range from 230°C to 500°C. Above this temperature, there are only small changes in the mass loss which are often attributed to the decomposition of carbonates present in the sewage sludge samples. To determine the apparent kinetic parameters such as the activation energy and the preexponential factor, the so called Friedman isoconversional method was used. Because of the requirements of this method, initial and final parts of the decomposition process, where crossings of the decomposition lines occurred, were cut off. Obtained dependencies of the apparent activation energies and preexponential factors as a function of conversion were used backwards to calculate the modeled decomposition process of sewage sludge and the experimental data were in good accordance with the data obtained by simulation.     

Thermogravimetric analysis of cellulose insulation and determination of activation energy of its thermo‐oxidation using non‐isothermal,model‐free methods

The aim of the work was to determine the effect of heating rate on initial decomposition temperature and phases of thermal decomposition of cellulose insulation. The activation energy of thermo‐oxidation of insulation was also determined. Individual samples were heated in the air flow in the thermal range of 100°C to 500°C at rates from 1.9°C min^?1 to 20.1°C min^?1. The initial temperatures of thermal decomposition ranged from 220°C to 320°C, depending on the heating rate. Three regions of thermal decomposition were observed. The maximum rates of mass loss were measured at the temperatures between 288°C and 362°C. The activation energies, which achieved average values between 75 and 80.7 kJ mol^?1, were calculated from the obtained results by non‐isothermal, model‐free methods. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of CO2 adsorption capacity of solid sorbents

The CO₂ adsorption capacity of the low-cost solid sorbents of waste tire char (TC) and chicken waste char (CW) was compared with commercial active carbon (AC) and 5 ? zeolite (ZA) using thermogravimetric analysis (TG), pressurized TG, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The sorbents were degassed in a TG up to 150 °C to release all gases on the surface of the sample, then cooled down to the designed temperature for adsorption. TG results indicated that the CO₂ adsorption capacity of TC was higher than that of CW, but lower than those of AC and ZA. The maximum adsorption rate of TC at 50 °C was 0.61% min⁻¹, lower than that of AC, but higher than that of CW, 0.44% min⁻¹. The maximum adsorption rate of ZA at 50 °C was 3.1% min⁻¹. When the pressure was over 4 bar, the adsorption rate of ZA was lower than that of TC and AC. At 30 bar, the total CO₂ uptake of TC was 20 wt%, higher than that of CW and ZA but lower than that of AC. The temperature, nitrogen concentration, and water content also influenced the CO₂ adsorption capacity of sorbents to some extent. DSC results showed that adsorption was an exothermic process. The heat of CO₂ adsorption per mole of CO₂ of TC at 50 °C was 24 kJ mol⁻¹ while the ZA had the largest heat of adsorption at 38 kJ mol⁻¹. Comparing the characteristics of TC and CW, TC may be a promising sorbent for removal of CO₂.     

Reaction of lead ions with hydroxylapatite granules

In the effort to improve the performance of hydroxylapatite (HA) in removing lead ions from aqueous solutions, millimeter-sized granules with 50 % porosity were synthesized. Such HA particles, after drying at 100°C, or heating at 800°C or 1100°C, exhibited the specific surface areas of 50 m² g⁻¹, 25 m² g⁻¹, and 5 m² g⁻¹, respectively. It was found that heavy metal sorption capacity of HAs can be related to their surface area. Non-calcined granules were difficult to handle and easy to crush. Hardened granules showed heavy metal absorption on their outer surfaces. Absorption capacity of sintered HA particles towards lead was lower but adsorbed lead ions were spread inside the porous structure of HA granules more evenly. Under flow conditions, lead ions were captured by HA at a rate of 0.5 mg g⁻¹ min⁻¹. Small lead phosphate aggregates were released from the HA sorbent together with calcium ions. Size of the aggregates depended on the lead concentration and ranged from 1–50 μm in diameter; the aggregates could be removed by ultrafiltration. Results show that porous hardened HA granules can be used as an efficient phosphate source for the immobilization of lead ions from aqueous media. Organic ligands tend to interfere with the water purification procedure.     

Thermogravimetric Analysis of Cobalt(II)-dothiepin Complexes

The complexes of cobalt(II) with dothiepin (DOT) hydrochloride have been studied for kinetics of thermal degradation by thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and derivative thermogravimetric studies (DTG) in a static nitrogen atmosphere at a heating rate of 10° C min⁻¹. A general mechanism of thermal decomposition is advanced involving dehydration and decomposition process for both organic and inorganic ligands. The thermal degradation reactions were found to proceed in three steps having an activation energy in the range 6.75–170 kJ mol⁻¹. Thermal decomposition kinetics parameters were computed on the basis of thermal decomposition data. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

Molecular distillation

Molecular distillation was studied for the separation of tocopherols from soya sludge, both experimentally and by simulation, under different operating conditions, with good agreement. Evaporator temperatures varied from 100°C to 160°C and feed flow rates ranged from 0.1 to 0.8 kg/h. The process pressure was maintained at 10⁻⁶ bar, the feed temperature at 50°C, the condenser temperature at 60°C, and the stirring at 350 rpm. For each process condition, samples of both streams (distillate and residue) were collected and stored at −18°C before tocopherols analyses. Owing to the differences between molecular weights and vapor pressures of free fatty acids and tocopherols, tocopherols preferentially remained in the residue at evaporator temperatures of 100°C and 120°C, whereas for higher temperatures (140°C and 160°C) and lower feed flow rate, tocopherols tended to migrate to the distillate stream.     

Thermal decomposition of methylxanthines

The thermal decomposition of theophylline, theobromine, caffeine, diprophylline and aminophylline were evaluated by calorimetrical, thermoanalytical and computational methods. Calorimetrical studies have been performed with aid of a heat flux Mettler Toledo DSC system. 10 mg samples were encapsulated in a 40 μL flat-bottomed aluminium pans. Measurements in the temperature range form 20 to 400°C were carried out at a heating rate of 10 and 20°C min⁻¹ under an air stream. It has been established that the values of melting points, heat of transitions and enthalpy for methylxanthines under study varied with the increasing of heating rate. Thermoanalytical studies have been followed by using of a derivatograph. 50, 100 and 200 mg samples of the studied compounds were heated in a static air atmosphere at a heating rate of 3, 5, 10 and 15°C min⁻¹ up to the final temperature of 800°C. By DTA, TG and DTG methods the influence of heating rate and sample size on thermal destruction of the studied methylxanthines has been determined. For chemometric evaluation of thermoanalytical results the principal component analysis (PCA) was applied. This method revealed that first of all the heating rate influences on the results of thermal decomposition. The most advantageous results can be obtained taking into account sample masses and heating rates located in the central part of the two-dimensional PCA graph. As a result, similar data could be obtained for 100 mg samples heated at 10°C·min⁻¹ and for 200 mg samples heated at 5°C min⁻¹.     

Kinetic study of wood chips decomposition by TGA

Pyrolysis of a wood chips mixture and main wood compounds such as hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin was investigated by thermogravimetry. The investigation was carried out in inert nitrogen atmosphere with temperatures ranging from 20°C to 900°C for four heating rates: 2 K min⁻¹, 5 K min⁻¹, 10 K min⁻¹, and 15 K min⁻¹. Hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin were used as the main compounds of biomass. TGA and DTG temperature dependencies were evaluated. Decomposition processes proceed in three main stages: water evaporation, and active and passive pyrolysis. The decomposition of hemicellulose and cellulose takes place in the temperature range of 200–380°C and 250–380°C, while lignin decomposition seems to be ranging from 180°C up to 900°C. The isoconversional method was used to determine kinetic parameters such as activation energy and pre-exponential factor mainly in the stage of active pyrolysis and partially in the passive stage. It was found that, at the end of the decomposition process, the value of activation energy decreases. Reaction order does not have a significant influence on the process because of the high value of the pre-exponential factor. Obtained kinetic parameters were used to calculate simulated decompositions at different heating rates. Experimental data compared with the simulation ones were in good accordance at all heating rates. From the pyrolysis of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin it is clear that the decomposition process of wood is dependent on the composition and concentration of the main compounds.     

Thermal analysis kinetics applied to flame retardant polycarbonate

The degradation kinetics of polycarbonate with flame retardant additive was investigated by means of thermogravimetric analysis. The samples were heated from 30 to 900°C in nitrogen atmosphere, with three different heating rates: 5, 10 and 20°C min^–1. The Vyazovkin model-free kinetics method was applied to calculate the activation energy (E _a) of the degradation process as a function of conversion and temperature. The results indicated that the polycarbonate without flame retardant additive starts to loose mass slightly over 380°C and the polycarbonate with flame retardant additive, slightly over 390°C (with heating rate of 5°C min^–1). The activation energy for flame retardant polycarbonate and normal polycarbonate were 190 and 165 kJ mol^–1, respectively.     

Isolation,Purification and Characterisation of Low Molecular Weight Xylanase from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus pumilus</Emphasis> SSP-34

Low molecular weight endo-xylanase from Bacillus pumilus SSP-34 was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange and size exclusion chromatographies. Xylanases were isolated by novel purification protocol which includes the use of anion exchange matrix such as DEAE Sepharose CL 6B with less affinity towards enzyme protein. The purified B. pumilus SSP-34 have a molecular weight of 20 kDa, with optimum pH and temperature at 6.0 and 50 °C, respectively. The enzyme was stable at 50 °C for 30 min. It showed remarkable stability at pH values ranging from 4.5 to 9 when the reaction was carried out at 50 °C. K _m and V _max values, determined with oats spelts xylan were 6.5 mg ml⁻¹ and 1,233 μmol min⁻¹ mg⁻¹ protein, respectively, and the specific activity was 1,723 U mg⁻¹     

Lifetime simulation and thermal characterization of PVC cable insulation materials

Thermal behavior of commercial PVC cable insulation both before and after extraction of plasticizers, fillers and other agents were tested by TG/DTG and DSC during heating in the range 20-800°C in air. The ultrasound enhanced hexane extraction and dissolution in THF with subsequent precipitation of PVC were used to prepare 'extracted' and 'precipitated' samples. The total mass loss measured for the 'non-treated', 'extracted' and 'precipitated' PVC samples was 71.6, 66.6 and 97%, respectively. In the temperature range 200-340°C the release of dioctylphthalate, HCl and CO₂was observed by simultaneous TG/FTIR. From TG results measured at different heating rates (1.5, 5, 10, 15 K min^-1) in the range 200-340°C the non-isothermal kinetics of the PVC samples degradation was determined. Activation energy values of the thermal degradation processes calculated by ASTM E 698 method, for 'non-treated', 'extracted' and 'precipitated' PVC samples were 174.6±17 kJ min^-1, 192.8±19 kJ min^-1, 217.1±20 kJ min^-1, respectively. These kinetic parameters were used for the lifetime simulation of the materials.     

Kinetic study of the polymeric binder burnout in green low temperature co-fired ceramic tapes

The binder decomposition and burnout process of a commercial low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) tape and an alumina tape which is used as a sacrificial tape for the constrained sintering process of the LTCC-tape was investigated by thermogravimetry (TG) and derivative thermogravimetry (DTG) up to 550 °C at different heating rates (from 1.5 to 10 K min⁻¹) in air. TG revealed a multistage degradation behaviour of the binder system for both tapes, but the temperature range of the different degradation stages varied. The activation energy of decomposition was determined by the Flynn–Wall isoconversional method and the Coats–Redfern method.