A novel process for anaerobic composting of municipal solid waste

A novel process has been developed and evaluated in a pilotscale program for conversion of the biodegradable fraction of municipal solid waste (MSW) to methane via anaerobic composting. The sequential batch anaerobic composting (SEBAC) process employs leachate management to provide organisms, moisture, and nutrients required for rapid conversion of MSW and removal of inhibitory fermentation products during start-up. The biodegradable organic materials are converted to methane and carbon dioxide in 21–42 d, rather than the years required in landfills.     

Bis(cyclopentadienyl)methan-verbrückte Zweikernkomplexe,V. Heteronukleare Co/Rh-, Co/Ir-, Rh/Ir- und Ti/Ir-Komplexe mit dem Bis(cyclopentadienyl)methan-Dianion als Brückenliganden

Bis(cyclopentadienyl)methane-bridged Dinuclear Complexes, V^[1]. – Heteronuclear Co/Rh-, Co/Ir-, Rh/Ir-, and Ti/Ir Complexes with the Bis(cyclopentadienyl)methane Dianion as Bridging Ligand^* The lithium and sodium salts of the [C₅H₅CH₂C₅H₄]^- anion, 1 and 2 , react with [Co(CO)₄I], [Rh(CO)₂Cl]₂, and [Ir(CO)₃Cl]n to give predominantly the mononuclear complexes [(C₅H₅-CH₂C₅H₄)M(CO)₂] ( 3, 5, 7 ) together with small amounts of the dinuclear compounds [CH₂(C₅H₄)₂][M(CO)₂]₂ ( 4, 6, 8 ). The ¹H- and ¹³C-NMR spectra of 3, 5 , and 7 prove that the CH₂C₅H₅ substituent is linked to the π-bonded ring in two isomeric forms. Metalation of 5 and 7 with nBuLi affords the lithiated derivatives 9 and 10 from which on reaction with [Co(CO)₄I], [Rh(CO)₂Cl]₂, and [C₅H₅TiCl₃] the heteronuclear complexes [CH₂(C₅H₄)₂][M(CO)₂][M′(CO)₂] ( 11–13 ) and [CH₂(C₅H₄)₂]-[Ir(CO)₂][C₅H₅TiCl₂] ( 17 ) are obtained. Photolysis of 11 and 12 leads almost quantitatively to the formation of the CO-bridged compounds [CH₂(C₅H₄)₂][M(CO)(μ-CO)M′(CO)] ( 14, 15 ). According to an X-ray crystal structure analysis the Co/Rh complex 14 is isostructural to [CH₂(C₅H₄)₂][Rh₂(CO)₂(μ-CO)] ( 16 ).     

Structural and dynamical properties of methane clathrate hydrates

Equilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed in both the NVT and NPT ensembles to study the structural and dynamical properties of fully occupied methane clathrate hydrates at 50, 125, and 200 K. Five atomistic potential models were used for water, ranging from fully flexible to rigid polarizable and nonpolarizable. A flexible and a rigid model were utilized for methane. The phonon densities of states were evaluated and the localized rattling modes for the methane molecules were found to couple to the acoustic phonons of the host lattice. The calculated methane density of states was found to be in reasonable agreement with available experimental data.     

Raman Spectroscopic Studies of Methane Gas Hydrates

Abstract

A brief review of the Raman spectroscopic studies of methane gas hydrates is given, supported by some new measurements done in our laboratory.     

Numerical study on soot removal in partial oxidation of methane to syngas reactors

The serious carbon deposition existing in catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) to syngas process is one of the key problems that impede its industrialization. In this study, 3-dimensional unsteady numerical simulations of the soot formation and oxidation in oxidation section in a heat coupling reactor were carried out by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach incorporating the Moss-Brookes model for soot formation. The model has been validated and proven to be in good agreement with experiment results. Effects of nozzle type, nozzle convergence angle, channel spacing, number of channels, radius/height ratio, oxygen/carbon ratio, preheat temperature and additional introduction of steam on the soot formation were simulated. Results show that the soot formation in oxidation section of the heat coupling reactor depends on both nozzle structures and operation conditions, and the soot concentration can be greatly reduced by optimization with the maximum mass fraction of soot inside the oxidation reactor from 2.28% to 0.0501%, and so that the soot mass fraction at the exit reduces from 0.74% to 0.03%.     

Gastrennung mit Hilfe des Zirkulations-Diffusions-Verfahrens Teil I : Hochanreicherung von Gasen in Trennrohren mit natürlicher Zirkulation

Auf der Grundlage des Zirkulations-Diffusions-Prinzips wurden zwei Trennrohre für die Hochanreicherung von Gasen enytwickelt. Als Modellgasmischungen dienten H₂-N₂ Kr-CH₄ und Luft. Neben Wasserdampf wurden Methanol- und Äthaanoldämpfe als Treibmittel benutzt. Gute Trennungen wurden in einem nur 20 cm langen Rohr erzielt, dessen Trennspalt horizontal durch Lamellen in kleine Sektionen und durch ein Drahtdiaphragma vertikal in zwei Ringkammern geteilt wird. Drei Rohre dieses Typs wurden in einer rechteckigen Kaskadenanordnung getestet. Die Theorie des Transportes im Trennrohr sowie die Behandlung des hydrodynamischen Problems werden angegeben. Eine Anwendung des beschriebenen Trennrohres zur Isotopentrennung und zur Gashochanreicherung erscheint aussichtsreich.     

Rule of 100:An inherent limitation or performance measure in oxidative coupling of methane?

The oxidative coupling of methane over La 2 O 3 /CaO type-catalyst in a fixed-bed reactor is studied under a wide range of operating conditions(973methane to oxygen ratios in the feed under different operating conditions which were also compared with the rule of 100.The results show that deviation from this rule depends on the operating conditions.Within the range studied,an increase in pressure,temperature and contact time results in smaller deviation from the rule.This rule is best approximated when the catalyst operates near its optimal performance.For negative deviations,common to the most catalysts,it is found that the optimal performance should occur at methane conversion levels lower than 50%.A plot of selectivity versus conversion for high-yield reported performance data of a large variety of catalysts shows that data points concentrated roughly in 20%-50% methane conversion region,confirming the generality and prediction of modeling.     

CoII Cryptates Convert CO2 into CO and CH4 under Visible Light

Three Co^II octaazacryptates, with different substituents on the aromatic rings (Br, NO₂, CCH), were synthesised and characterised. These and the already published non-substituted cryptate catalysed CO₂ photoreduction to CO and CH₄ under blue visible light at room temperature. Although CO was observed after short irradiation times and a large range of catalyst concentrations, CH₄ was only observed after longer irradiation periods, such as 30 h, but with a small catalyst concentration (25 nm ). Experiments with ¹³C labelled CO₂ showed that CO is formed and reacts further when the reaction time is long. The CCH catalyst is deactivated faster than the others and the more efficient catalyst for CH₄ production is the one with Br. This reactivity trend was explained by an energy decomposition analysis based on DFT calculations.     

Crystal structures and luminescence of two cadmium(II) polymers constructed from aromatic polycarboxylate and bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methane ligands

Two new coordination compounds, {[Cd₂(btrm)(ip)₂(H₂O)₂]?·?2H₂O} _n (1) and {[Cd₂(btrm)(hip)₂(H₂O)₄]?·?3H₂O} _n (2) (btrm?=?bis(1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methane, H₂ip?=?isophthalic acid, H₂hip?=?5-hydroxy isophthalic acid), have been synthesized and structurally characterized. Compound 1 is a 3-D network with CdSO₄ topology. Compound 2 contains 1-D ladder structures, which are interconnected by classical hydrogen-bonding interactions (O–H?···?O) to lead to 3-D supramolecular architectures. Luminescence was performed on 1 and 2, both of which showed strong fluorescent emissions in the solid state at room temperature.