Biofuels–Renewable Energy Sources: A Review

Biodiesel is biodegradable and nontoxic, and it significantly reduces toxic and other emissions when burned as a fuel. The advantages of biodiesel as diesel fuel are its portability, ready availability, renewability, higher combustion efficiency, non-toxicity, higher flash point, and lower sulfur and aromatic content, higher cetane number, and higher biodegradability. The major disadvantages of biodiesel are its higher viscosity, lower energy content, higher cloud point and pour point, higher nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions, lower engine speed and power, injector coking, engine compatibility, high price, and greater engine wear. The technical disadvantages of biodiesel/fossil diesel blends include problems with fuel freezing in cold weather, reduced energy density, and degradation of fuel under storage for prolonged periods. The sources of biodiesel are vegetable oils and fats. The direct use of vegetable oils and/or oil blends is generally considered to be unsatisfactory and impractical for both direct injection and indirect type diesel engines because of their high viscosities and low volatilities injector coking and trumpet formation on the injectors, higher level of carbon deposits, oil ring sticking, and thickening and gelling of the engine lubricant oil, acid composition. Biodiesel is obtained by transesterifying triglycerides with methanol. A popular variation of the batch transesterification process which needs high alcohol/acid ratio (several separation problems and high corrosivity and toxicity) is the use of continuous stirred tank reactors in series. This continuous process is heterogeneous and is based on reactive distillation. The key factor is the selection of the right and effective solid catalyst which leads to reduction of energy consumption and investments at all.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Phenols and Cyanides After Distillation from Natural Waters

Abstract

Total phenols were determined by molecular spectrophotometry, after distillation, complexation with 4-aminoantipyrine and extraction into chloroform. Cyanides were also determined spectrophotometrically after distillation from the acidified samples, and complexation in moderate acidic solution with barbituric acid. The dynamic ranges were 0 – 100 μg L^?1 for total phenols and 0 – 30 μg L^?1 for cyanides. The above methods were applied in the analysis of river, lake and stream waters collected from Northern Greece. The seasonal and spatial variation of concentrations was evaluated by two-way ANOVA. Background levels (4 – 12 μg L^?1 for total phenols and 0.3 – 3 μg L^?1 for cyanides), were found in almost all surface waters, with some exceptions.     

有机液体化学试剂馏程测定注意事项

对有机液体化学试剂馏程测定过程中应注意的一些问题如加热源选择、蒸馏速度控制、温度计选择、蒸馏收率以及同一样品不同特性测量结果的相关性分析等进行了分析，为正确测定馏程提供经验和依据。     

Spectrophotometric determination of boron in complex matrices by isothermal distillation of borate ester into curcumin

In situ distillation of borate ester into the curcumin solution has been developed for the spectrophotometric determination of boron in a variety of complex matrixes. A polypropylene vessel containing the sample solution was placed inside a vessel (PP) containing 10 ml of curcumin solution and the distillation was carried out at room temperature/on a water bath. The borate ester collected in to the curcumin solution was evaporated to dryness on the water bath, taken in acetone and the absorbance was measured at 550 nm. In situ distillation of borate ester directly into the chromogenic reagent eliminates tedious sample treatment (before and/or after borate separation), use of methanol, complicated quartz set up, possible loss of boron and reduces the analysis time significantly. In situ dehydration of sample solution by ethanolic vapour in the absence of dehydrating acid prevents the formation of fluoborate and co-distillation of potential anionic interferents (nitrate and fluoride). This developed method has been applied for the determination of traces of boric acid in boron powder by the distillation of methyl borate at room temperature. For other matrixes (water, uranium oxide, uranyl nitrate, fluoride salt, etc.) distillation of ethyl borate was carried out on the water bath. LOD (3σ) was 5 ng g⁻¹ for water and 30 ng g⁻¹ for solid samples.     

纳米Pd/ZSM-5的原位法制备及催化肉桂醛加氢

采用共沸精镏辅助的原位法成功合成了高度分散的Pd纳米颗粒负载在ZSM-5中(Pd/ZSM-5-IS)分子筛催化剂。通过XRD、TEM、XPS等手段对Pd/ZSM-5-IS的样品进行了表征,并考察反应压力、反应温度、反应时间对肉桂醛加氢催化性能的影响。结果表明:原位法制备的Pd/ZSM-5-IS催化剂比浸渍法制备的Pd/ZSM-5-IM催化剂具有更高的催化稳定性,其主要归因于Pd纳米颗粒进入ZSM-5的晶内介孔有效防止活性位点的损失和聚集。当反应温度为80℃,反应压力为1 MPa,反应时间为3 h时为最佳反应条件,肉桂醛的转化率为87.23%,苯丙醛的选择性为76.68%。     

生物油蒸馏残渣理化性质及热失重研究

利用傅里叶变换红外光谱仪、激光共焦显微拉曼光谱仪和TGA Q500热分析仪对生物油蒸馏残渣及其在不同温度处理后的热解焦炭理化性质进行表征,并对其热失重特性进行分析。结果表明,生物油蒸馏残渣主要是由脂肪族、芳香族和低聚糖类等有机化合物组成;在氮气氛围下热解主要分为三个阶段:30-145℃为小分子物质挥发析出阶段145-550℃为大分子物质裂解和氧化阶段,550-750℃为焦炭产生阶段;热处理过程中各类物质逐步有序热解析出,同时固体产物石墨化程度随着热处理终止温度的升高而升高。     

超临界CO2萃取与水蒸气蒸馏法研究泽兰中挥发性有机物

以超临界CO2萃取法(SFE)提取中药泽兰中的挥发性有机物,经气相色谱-质谱联用(GC-MS)分析,人工解析质谱图及计算机谱库检索相结合进行化学成分结构鉴定,用面积归一化法计算各组分的相对含量。SFE法提取的产率为0.78%,共鉴定75种挥发性化合物,主要成分为植醇、石竹烯氧化物、十六酸、亚油酸、葎草烯等,比文献报道的该挥发油成分多且含量差异较大,其中松香芹醇、蒲勒烯、马鞭烯酮、香芹酮、十六酸、亚油酸、葎草烯、十六酸乙酯、亚麻酸等多种成分未见报道。与水蒸气蒸馏法(SD)提取的泽兰挥发油进行比较,后者提取的产率为0.12%,从中鉴定出50种化合物,主要成分为石竹烯氧化物、柠檬烯、α-蒎烯、葎草烯、月桂烯等。SFE与SD得到的成分仅有31种相同,其它各不相同。     

膜蒸馏装置热容腔流场数值模拟的可行性分析

本文运用CFD软件,采用水作为工质,在第Ⅲ代膜组件基础上,对旋转切向入流空气隙膜蒸馏热容腔内的流场进行了模拟计算,通过数值模拟结果与实验数据的比较分析,验证了针对膜组件热容腔进行理论模拟所设置的物理模型和边界条件是符合实际的,理论模拟值和实验值的误差在20%范围内,其结果较为理想.     

A novel single particle study of steam gasification kinetics of a coal-derived char at high temperatures and pressures

A novel single particle experiment was developed to allow for detailed char gasification measurements in pure steam at temperatures from 1000 °C to 1400  °C and pressures from 1  bar to 15  bar. A coal-derived activated carbon was thoroughly characterized with respect to its composition, physical structure, and reactivity revealing properties consistent with chars reported in the literature. The single particle approach allowed for the boundary and initial conditions to be well known and for the mass of the particle to be accurately measured before and after testing to provide high-quality conversion data. The resulting conversion data were analyzed using the random pore model and the shrinking core model, of which the random pore model provided the best fit. Apparent activation energies were calculated using the random pore model which provided values ranging from 57.1 kJ/mol to 129 kJ/mol which are nominally half of the magnitude of the values reported in the literature under kinetically controlled conditions, thus demonstrating that regime II conditions were present. Additionally, the activation energies decreased with increasing temperature further demonstrating the presence of regime II conditions. The calculated reaction order ranged from 0 to 0.5 and decreased with increasing pressure agreeing well with literature values and trends.     

Chemical Composition of Natural Hydrolates and Their Antimicrobial Activity on Arcobacter-Like Cells in Comparison with Other Microorganisms

Hydrolates obtained via the hydrodistillation and steam distillation of Lavandula angustifolia Mill., Syzygium aromaticum L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill., and Laurus nobilis L. were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Additionally, the hydrolates were evaluated for antimicrobial activity (disk-diffusion and microdilution method), influence on biofilm formation (Christensen method) and cytotoxicity of concentrated hydrolates against human cell lines (A549) by xCELLigence system. Using chemical analysis, 48, 9, 13 and 33 different components were detected in lavender, clove, fennel and laurel hydrolates, respectively. Lavender hydrolate contained the largest proportion of 1,8-cineol, linalool furanoxide, and linalool. The main components of laurel hydrolate were 1,8-cineol, 4-terpineol and α-terpineol. Fenchone and estragole were the most abundant in fennel hydrolate, and eugenol and eugenyl acetate in clove hydrolate. Concentrated hydrolates showed significant antimicrobial activity. Clove hydrolate was among the most antimicrobially active agents, most preferably against C. albicans, with an inhibition zone up to 23.5 mm. Moreover, concentrated hydrolates did not show any cytotoxic effect again8 st human A549 cells. In the presence of the non-concentrated hydrolates, significantly reduced biofilm formation was observed; however, with concentrated clove hydrolate, there was an increase in biofilm formation, e.g., of A. thereius, A. lanthieri, and A. butzleri. Research shows new findings about hydrolates that may be important in natural medicine or for preservation purposes.