Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Methanol on Chromium Oxide/Montmorillonite K10 Catalysts

Methanol conversion was carried out on a mesoporous material—chromia/montmorillonite K10 (MK10)—in a pulse microcatalytic system. Methanol was converted to formaldehyde and ethylene by two different mechanisms. Methanol dehydrogenation increases by increasing reaction temperature (300-400°C) and as chromia loading decrease. On the other hand, the dehydration of methanol occurs at a higher temperature (400-500°C) and as chromia loading increase, 3-18% Cr. Redox and exposed nonredox Cr³⁺ are responsible for formaldehyde formation. There is a relationship between increased C₂H₄ production and the increase of Cr⁶⁺ phase according to the acidity of chromia catalysts 34 and 76 μL tert-Butylamine/g catalyst for 3% Cr and 18% Cr, respectively. Formaldehyde formation is diffusionally controlled at high temperatures (400-500°C) and kinetically controlled at a lower reaction temperature (300-400°C), while methanol dehydration to ethylene is surface reaction controlled at 400-500°C.     

COMPARATIVE REACTION STUDY OF METHYLCYCLOHEXANE AND 3-METHYLHEXANE IN H2 AND N2 ON Pt/Al2O3 CATALYST

The reaction of methylcyclohexane and 3-methylhexane were studied in a pulse microcatalytic reactor using H₂ and N₂ carriers on Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst at temperatures from 350 to 500°C, contact times (W/F) of 1.25 × 10^-3-3.75 × 10^-3 g min/ml and a total pressure of 4.0 kg/cm². In N₂, there was complete conversion of methylcyclohexane to methane, benzene and toluene while similar products were produced for 3-methylhexane, albeit with diminished conversion level. In H₂, methane was produced from 3-methylhexane conversion while aromatization without demethylation was obtained in addition to some cracking for methylcyclohexane at the low temperature range (350-400°C); a higher temperature range (460-500°C) resulted in complete fragmentation for methylcyclohexane. In H₂-N₂ mixtures, the presence of N₂ of not less than 50% in the carrier gas stream yielded an aromatic catalyst at conditions where only cracking activity was previously evident. The differences in product distribution and/or product types for the two reactants in H₂ and N₂ suggest a different reaction mechanism for both reactants.     

An evaluation of the effect of storage and processing temperatures on the microbiological status of sous vide extended shelf-life products

The microbiological and organoleptic quality of selected sous vide products was monitored over a storage period of up to five weeks at 3°C and 8°C, respectively. Sous vide products stored at the recommended temperature of 3°C showed negligible microbial growth and were found to be organoleptically acceptable throughout the storage period. Total plate counts at the end of the fourth week of storage were in the range <10–7×10³ CFU/g for all 19 products under study. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus and Enterobacteriaceae were not detected in any of the processed samples. At 8°C, under temperature abuse conditions, while some products had acceptable microbial levels of 10²–10⁴ CFU/g after three weeks, others such as chicken chasseur had counts above 10⁶ CFU/g by the second week of storage. Lactic acid bacteria and Pseudomonas species were dominant in the microbial flora of spoilt samples and B. cereus (>3×10⁴ CFU/g) was isolated from spoilt chicken chasseur samples in the fourth week of storage at 8°C. Critical factors affecting sous vide product safety are discussed.     

DEEP DESULPHURISATION OF A DIESEL BLEND IN A PILOT PLANT TRICKLE BED REACTOR

A pilot plant investigation was conducted to study the influence of hydrotreating conditions on conversion and characteristics of diesel blend and to determine the severity of operating conditions required to meet the proposed product specifications for diesel fuel in India. A typical diesel blend derived from various refinery streams with sulphur content of 2·06 wt% was hydrodesulphurised over a commercial NiO-MoO₃/Al₂O₃ catalyst in a pilot plant trickle bed reactor. The experiments were conducted at 300-370°C, 30-50 kg/cm², 2·0 3·0 hr^-1 liquid hourly space velocity and constant H₂/oil ratio of 185 m³/m³. The data showed that the diesel blend could be hydrotreated to meet revised product specifications of 0·25 wt% sulphur, 46 cetane number by increasing the severity of operation. The cetane number and aromatic saturation were limited by thermodynamic equilibrium at temperatures above 360°C. The influence of temperature was found to be more pronounced than that of pressure in the range of operating conditions studied.     

Oligomerizing Olefins in Light Coke Gasoline to Diesel

We prepare a catalyst for FCC gasoline polymerizing to produce diesel oil, which uses non-noble metal Ni as the main active component; here mesopore γ-Al₂O₃ is used as the carrier. The effects of mass fraction of active components and the condition of preparing were investigated simultaneously. The results show that mass fraction of the main active component is 8%, soakage time is 6 hr, and the roasting temperature is 500°C to roast for 4 hr, which are better conditions for preparing the catalyst. Under the condition of a reaction temperature of 210°C, reaction pressure is 3.0 Mpa, space velocity is 1.0 h^-1, and volumetric percent of diesel is 42.0%, which meet a criterion of -35^# diesel. At the same time we study the stability and regeneration of the catalyst with good results.     

ESTIMATION OF TOXIC COKE DEPOSITS ON FRESH AND REGENERATED Pt/Al2O3 CATALYST FROM METHYLCYCLOPENTANE REFORMING IN H2 AND N2 ATMOSPHERES.

An estimate of the quantity of toxic coke deposited on fresh and regenerated Pt/Alj₂O₃ catalyst has been determined for methylcyclopentane (MCP) reforming in a Berty CSTR at 390°C, W/F=0·11 g min cm^-3, total pressure of 1 atm and MCP partial pressure of 9·2 × 10^-2 atm in H₂ or N₂ carrier. Eleven cycles consisting each of catalyst deactivation, regeneration and reduction were investigated with 3 in H₂ and 8 in N₂. Oxidizable (primary) coke deposits were higher in N₂. However, higher levels of toxic (secondary) coke were deposited in H₂. The ratio of oxidizable to toxic coke lies between 1-15×10³ in H₂ and 22 - 55 × 10³ in N₂ The coke-time profiles for secondary coke removal exhibited maxima suggestive of three types of secondary coke with varying reactivity in H₂. Furthermore, the results strongly suggest that the cokes were layered on acidic coke forming sites with the solid phase transformation of primary to secondary coke occurring at the catalyst-coke interface.     

Influence of ZnO and P2O5 Content on Modified HZSM-5 on Aromatization of FCC Gasoline

Catalytic properties of different content of ZnO and P₂O₅ supported on HZSM-5 zeolites were studied in the conversion of FCC gasoline (75°C-120°C) into aromatic hydrocarbons with a temperature of 430°C, a liquid hourly space velocity of 1.0 hr^-1, and a pressure of 0.1 MPa. In the reaction, when the contents of ZnO and P₂O₅ are 2% and 4%, respectively, Zn-P/HZSM-5 showed the highest selectivity and activity to aromatic hydrocarbons and conversion of olefins. The content of aromatics in the liquid product and the yield of aromatics reached as high as 94.53%, 68.87%, and 51.74%, respectively.     

THERMAL EFFECT ON THE PERMANENT VISCOSITY OF A SASKATCHEWAN HEAVY OIL

Future energy demands will likely cause increased activity towards the recovery of heavy oil using non-conventional means. Most non-conventional attempts to recover Saskatchewan's heavy oil resources have utilized thermal techniques.

This report discusses the permanent viscosity changes which occur when heavy oil.is subjected to thermal processes from 220 to 425°C. It was observed that under closed operating conditions, the oil viscosity drops in a manner which can be modeled by a first order, kinetic reaction model. The rate constant for this reaction varied from 0.3 × 10^-3 to 6.0 × 10^-3 h^-1 depending on temperature and the assumed molecular weights of the model components. These findings closely parallel earlier results.

Experimental observations on thermal effects during opened operating conditions indicate a dramatic and rapid rise In the remaining crude oil viscosity. The oil was observed to increase its permanent absolute viscosity by a factor as high as 21 times its original absolute viscosity. The single product, first order kinetic model was not capable of predicting this rise in oil viscosity. A simple, two product, first order kinetic model was developed and found to fit the data satisfactorily with a rate constant of 0.6 h^-1 for heavy product formation and a rate constant of 0.03 h^-1 for light product formation at 275°C.     

REFORMING OF N-OCTANE ON A Pt/Al2O3 CATALYST. II. KINETIC ANALYSIS OF HYDROGEN DEPENDENCE.

The conversion of n-octane on Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst was found to pass through pronounced maxima with the variation of the partial pressure of hydrogen at temperatures between 420°C-460°C, P_N = 7·63 × 10^-3 atm and W/F = 0·11lg min cm_-3. The products of reaction were hydrocracked products, octane, ethylbenzene, o-.p-,m,-xylene and toluene. The order of appearance of the optimum PH for the various reactions were: Isooctane>Dehydrocyclized products>Hydrocracked products.

A sequence of elementary steps earlier postulated was found to predict the maximum in the n-octane P_H profiles for the three temperatures investigated. The rate determining steps for the two rate equations that were found suitable were conversion of adsorbed isooctane to adsorbed o-xylene and ethylbenzene.     

Computer modelling for the control of particulate sterilization under dynamic flow conditions

A finite difference model was used for predicting the centre temperature of particulates during ultra-high temperature processing under continuous flow conditions. This model compared favourably with the analytical solutions. A sensitivity analysis was carried out on the input parameters to the numerical model, which indicated that particulate size and thermal diffusivity were the most critical parameters influencing process lethality and cook value. For example, a spherical particulate (thermal properties defined) of 20 mm diameter required a holding time greater than 5 min at 135°C to achieve a minimum safe cook (F₀ of 3.0 min for Clostridium botulinum), compared to a 10 mm spherical particulate which would have received an F₀ value of 68 min after 5 min processing at 135°C. The centre temperatures predicted using the model were sensitive to changes in the convective surface heat transfer coefficient in the range 100–300 W m⁻² K⁻¹, but became less sensitive as the values increased up to 500 W m⁻² K⁻¹. An initial product temperature change from 20 to 60°C resulted in an 8 min increase in process lethality for a 15 mm spherical particulate processed for 5 min at 135°C. The determination of experimental results in particulates of less than 20 mm (the critical dimension) was found to be significantly affected by conduction errors through the thermocouple wires, and therefore the model presented will be a useful prediction tool in situations of experimental uncertainty.     

Cyclohexane Dehydrogenation Using an Economical Iron Catalyst: Influence of Alumino-Silicate Structure on the Catalytic Activity

The effect of mixing both local Egyptian hematitic ore and activated aluminosilicate material (bentonite clay) on the dehydrogenation activity of the former was studied.

Three mixtures were prepared in which bentonite percentages were 10, 20, and 40 wt%. Cyclohexane used as a model reactant for the catalytic dehydrogenation reaction carried out in catalytic flow system within reaction temperature ranged from 150 to 500°C in the presence of hydrogen stream (75 mL/min) and at constant space velocity 3.71 h^-1.

The results obtained indicated that in spite of the drop in the selectivity of the local material toward benzene formation by clay addition, a distinct increase in the benzene yield was observed. The maximum conversion attained ∼28.14% at reaction temperature 500°C using a mixture containing 20 wt% activated bentonite.     

Kinetic Modeling of Hydrodesulphurization of Residual Oils. I. Power Law Model

The kinetics of hydrodesulphurization (HDS) reaction of residual oils at temperatures of 320-440°C has been explored leading to the development of a power law model. The reaction order was found to decrease with increasing temperature from 4.33 to 1.42 while the rate constant increased with temperature from 0.312 to 10.847 kg/mol h. The activation energy of 101.0 kJ/mol and a frequency factor of 3.42 × 10⁸ were also recorded. These results are in excellent agreement with other work reported in the literature. The study also revealed the sharp contrast between HDS and Sulphurization, which has its reaction order increasing with temperature.     

REFORMING OF N-OCTANE ON A Pt/Al2O 3 CATALYST. 1. PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION AND KINETIC ANALYSIS.

The conversion of n-octane on Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst to hydrocracked products, isooctane, ethylbenzene, o-,p-,m-xylene and toluene was investigated in hydrogen in a Berty CSTR at three different partial pressures of n-octane, 101·325 KPa total pressure, temperatures between 400°C-460°C and W/F values up to 0·33gmincm^-3. The hydrocracked products were the most predominant. Of the other products, isooctane was present in the highest yield. A sequence of elementary steps based on the suggested reaction network of Ako and Susu (1986) was found to predict the experimental conversion-W/F data with the conversion of adsorbed isooctane to adsorbed o-xylene as the rate determining step. The activation energies for the forward and backward reactions of this step were determined to be 21·2 and 14·3 Kcal/gmol, respectively.     

Effects of some Chinese medicinal plant extracts on five different fungi

Chinese medicinal plant extracts were screened against some fungal strains, such as Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium moniliforme, Glomerella cingulata, and Phyllosticta caricae. Plants were extracted with hot water, 80% methanol or acetone. Aliquots of the extracts at variable concentrations were then incubated with different fungal strains, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of each plant extract determined. In this study, the methanol extracts of Cinnamomum cassia had MIC values of 13.3 mg ml⁻¹, when tested against F. moniliforme and P. caricae. The acetone extracts of C. cassia had MIC values of 8.3 mg ml⁻¹ and 10 mg ml⁻¹ respectively, when tested against B. cinerea and G. cingulata. The hot water extracts of C. cassia inhibited significantly the growth of A. niger, B. cinerea, F. moniliforme, and P. caricae with MIC values at 10, 11.7, 5, and 6.7 mg ml⁻¹ respectively. The acetone extracts of Curcuma longa inhibited effectively P. caricae with the MIC value at 6.7 mg ml⁻¹. To determine the stability, various plant extracts were stored at 4 and 25 °C over a period of one month and their effects on fungal growth examined. Results show that the acetone extracts of Cu. longa and Coptidis rhizoma maintained their activity against fungal strains when stored at 4 °C, but not at 25 °C. The methanol extracts of C. cassia lost a great portion of inhibitory activities but not all, after stored at 4 °C and 25 °C for one month. The effect of various combinations of these extracts on antimicrobial activity has also been examined. The combinations of herb extracts showed higher inhibitory effect towards tested fungi than that of individual extract. Results from these findings suggest that these herbal extracts may be used as natural antifungal agents to inhibit growth of foodborne pathogen.     

An Orthogonal Method for Aromatization Reactions of Shenghua FCC Gasoline

Using a confined fluidized bed reactor and aromatization catalysts (LBO-A and LBO-16), the aromatization performance of Shenghua fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) gasoline has been studied in an orthogonal method. The experimental results reveal that the optimum reaction condition for the light oil yield was reaction temperature 420°C, WHSV 40 h^-1, mass ratio catalyst to oil 4 and 75% LBO-A and 25% LBO-16; the optimum reaction condition for aromatics amount in the light oil was reaction temperature 420°C, WHSV 30 h^-1, mass ratio catalyst to oil 5 and 65% LBO-A and 35% LBO-16, the olefin content is remarkably reduced from about 54.7% to 12.8% and 8.7% (by mass), respectively, at the same time the reaction mechanism of aromatization reaction is put forward based on the experimental result.     

Microbiological profile of helva sold at retail markets in Izmir city and the survival of Staphylococcus aureus in this product

The objective of this research was to determine the microbiological profile of tahin helva, a low moisture confectionery. A total of 63 tahin helva samples were collected from the retail markets in Izmir, Turkey. These samples were examined by standard procedures for aerobic plate count (APC) and counts of moulds and yeasts, Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. APC of samples ranged from <10 to 1.6 × 10⁵ cfu/g. The counts for moulds, yeasts and Enterobacteriaceae ranged from <10 to 1.8 × 10³, <10 to 7 × 10², <10 to 8.5 × 10² cfu/g, respectively. None of the samples contained S. aureus or Salmonella. The potential for survival of S. aureus in the product stored at refrigeration (4 °C) and room (20 °C) temperatures was evaluated by artificial contamination. S. aureus cells were still recovered after 9 months of storage at both temperatures. The results of this investigation indicate that S. aureus contamination of tahin helva, (a_w of 0.172) may constitute a potential public health hazard, depending on the extent of contamination and mishandled exercise at the sale area and the kitchen.     

The Role of Nitrogen in Facilitating Methylcyclohexane Aromatization on Pt/Al2O3 and Pt-Re/Al2O3 Catalysts

The kinetics of methylcyclohexane aromatization on commercial Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pt-Re/Al₂O₃ catalysts was investigated in a micro-reactor using N₂ and/or H₂ as carrier gases at temperatures ranging between 300-500°C, W/F values ranging between 0.83-3.75 mg min/mL and at a total pressure of 4.0 kg/cm². On both catalysts in N₂ atmosphere, aromatization accompanied by demethylation was observed with the formation of cracked products, benzene and toluene. However, in H₂ methane was the predominant product of methylcyclohexane reforming on PtA1₂O₃ and Pt-Re/Al₂O₃ at 500°C and 400-500°C respectively, whereas at 350°C, aromatization was predominant on Pt/Al₂O₃ but on Pt-Re/Al₂O₃, aromatization was accompanied by fragmentation to methane. In N₂-H₂ mixtures, demethylation activity was observed to decrease with H₂ content of the mixture on Pt-Re/Al₂O₃. A preliminary test of the kinetic data using Sica's method of pulse kinetic analysis suggests a first order rate in methylcyclohexane with activation energies of 3.21 kcal/gmol in N₂ and 19.70 kcal/gmol in H₂ for the Pt/Al₂O₃ catalyst and 16.66 kcal/gmol in N₂ and 34.94 kcal/gmol in H₂ for the Pt-Re/Al₂O₃ catalyst. However, a more comprehensive kinetic analysis suggested an aromatization mechanism for Pt-Re/Al₂O₃, where adsorbed H₂ was a participant. A different aromatization mechanism for the reaction in N₂ where hydrogen was not needed explained the data on Pt/Al₂O_3. In both cases, the desorption of toluene was determined as the rate determining step.     

VISCOSITY OF WATER IN OIL EMULSIONS

Increase in water cut in oil fields generally calls for an increase in the capacity of transport pipelines. Proper design and operation of the latter requires good knowledge of the thermophysical properties of flow resistance of crude-oil water mixtures. An experimental program aimed at measurements of oil-water emulsion viscosity for water cuts prior to the inversion point was conducted.

The present work reports on measurements of Nimr crude oil-water mixtures viscosity for different water cuts and a typical range of temperatures representative of field conditions (20°-50°C). Three mixing intensities of 10⁶, 5×10⁶ and 15×10⁶ erg/cm-sec generated by a dynamic coalescer and directly relevant to field conditions were used.

The results suggest that the inversion point occurs around a value of water cut of 35%. Both Newtonian and non-Newtonian (pseudo-plastic) behaviour were observed, and the ASTM viscosity model is found to be applicable to the emulsions. The effect of the mixing intensity on the resulting emulsion viscosity was found to be important at low temperatures and decreased at high temperatures. The experimental data fitted the available correlations in the literature.     

Aromatization of FCC Gasoline Over Modified HZSM-5 Catalyst

Zinc and phosphorus incorporated HZSM-5 catalyst was prepared by adopting incipient wet co-impregnation (Zn-P/HZSM-5). Zn-P/HZSM-5 catalyst exhibited the lowest acidity but the highest aromatization activity with stable performance in the studied period of 16 hr. The process conditions on aromatization reaction and the coke deactivation mechanism of Zn-P/HZSM-5 catalyst were studied on a small-scale, fixed bed reactor using FCC naphtha (75-120°C). The weight contents of ZnO and P₂O₅ were 2% and 4%, respectively. Results showed that Zn-P/HZSM-5 catalyst under a temperature of 450°C, liquid hourly space velocity of 1.0 h^-1, and pressure of 0.1 MPa, the conversions of olefins and alkanes are 96.77% and 88.94%, respectively, the contents of olefins, aromatics in liquid product are 6.79% and 74.57%, respectively. Carbon deposition was the major reason for catalyst deactivation due to the catalyst's good performance as a fresh catalyst after regeneration. All of the blending products fitted the standards of Chinese gasoline.     

Etherification Performance of Transition Metals Modified β-Zeolite Catalyst

The etherification experiment for FCC light gasoline on transition metals modified Hβ zeolite was studied in a fixed-bed reactor. The effect of preparation condition of catalyst on the catalyst's activity, stability, and the effect of reaction temperature, methanol/tert-olefin molar ratio, and liquid hour space velocity on the etherification reaction were discussed. The experimental results showed that the different metals modified Hβ zeolite had different etherification performances. And the conversion of tertiary carbon-olefins of the molybdenum modified Hβ zeolite, which was loaded 3%, was higher 6.0% than the Hβ zeolite. The optimal reaction conditions were temperature 70-80°C, liquid hour space velocity 1.0 h^-1 and methanol/tert-olefin molar ratio 1.05. The modified Hβ zeolite catalysts possessed favorable prospect for its higher stability.