High-concentration coal–water slurry from Indian coals using newly developed additives

Coal–water slurry (CWS) holds promise to offer a long-term alternative to fuel oil, and also it is being conceived as an attractive fuel for power generation industry in India. The essential requirements of the CWS technology, viz., the additive package, concentration of additives, particle size distribution (PSD) of coal, solids loading, methodology for CWS formulation and its rheological properties, have been discussed and reported here. The effect of the two newly developed anionic additives in the formulation of CWS has been studied. The basic parameters were established taking beneficiated Ledo coal samples with 9.7% ash content. Ball milling of the coal samples in a wet grinding process could produce particle size distributions most suited for highly loaded CWS. Coal loadings to the extent of 70% in the CWS have been achieved using a concentration of 0.8 wt.% (on coal charge) of the naphthalene-based additive referred to as ‘P’. Using 0.9 wt.% of the naphthalene-toluene-based additive denoted as ‘R’, a coal loading of 69% has been achieved. The viscosities of the slurries were found to be below 1000 mPa s. The shelf lives of slurries were found to be 22 and 20 days with the use of additives P and R, respectively, in the CWS formulation. The two additives functioned well in CWS formulation with Sirka coal having relatively higher ash content (14.4%). Using the specified concentration of the additives P and R, the solid loadings of 67% and 65%, respectively, could be obtained under the established parameters. The lower values of solids loading from Sirka coal than that from Ledo coal in CWS formulation may be attributed to the higher percentages of oxygen-containing functional groups (O_OH and O_COOH), ash content and higher O/C ratio of Sirka coal.     

碱预处理对慈竹机械浆酶解的影响

以慈竹机械浆为研究对象,分别采用NaOH和NaOH加H2O2两种方法对原料进行预处理,考察预处理条件对酶解还原糖产率的影响。得到NaOH最佳预处理条件为:预处理温度90℃、固液比1∶5g/mL、时间2h、NaOH用量12%(g/g绝干)。在此最佳条件下,慈竹机械浆半纤维素保留率为87.92%、纤维素保留率为90.29%、木质素脱除率为43.24%;在pH4.8、加酶量20FPU/g预处理后底物、反应温度50℃的条件下酶解24h,还原糖产率为30.36%。扫描电镜观察显示,经碱性预处理过的慈竹机械浆变得粗糙而多孔,增加了纤维素酶的吸附位点,酶解速率加快。     

Octadecylamine Graft-modified Cellulose Nanofiber and Its Reinforcement to Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) Composites

Biodegradable polymers such as poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) have attracted great interest as alternatives to traditional petroleum-based polymers. Nonetheless, it is necessary to improve some properties of PBAT, such as mechanical strength. Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) can improve PBAT mechanical strength, but its dispersion and compatibility in the PBAT matrix require further improvement. In this study, octadecylamine (ODA) was utilized to graft-modify CNF to change the fiber-to-fiber interaction and improve its compatibility with the PBAT matrix. PBAT composites with 1 wt% CNF were prepared using a masterbatch premixing method to avoid CNF aggregation during extrusion. The effects of ODA graft modification on CNF properties were studied; varying degrees of CNF modification were investigated for their effect on PBAT properties. ODA-modified CNF (OCNF)/PBAT melt-extruded composites possessing 17.2% higher tensile strength than pure PBAT polymer were obtained without affecting the thermal stability of PBAT. As a result, surface modification of CNF with ODA is an effective strategy for improving CNF-PBAT compatibility.     

Compositional analysis and projected biofuel potentials from common West African agricultural residues

In recent years the focus on sustainable biofuel production from agricultural residues has increased considerably. However, the scientific work within this field has predominantly been concentrated upon bioresources from industrialised and newly industrialised countries, while analyses of the residues from most developing countries remain sparse. In this study the theoretical bioenergy potentials (bioethanol and biogas) of a spectrum of West African agricultural residues were estimated based on their compositions. We analysed 13 of the most common residues: yam peelings, cassava peelings, cassava stalks, plantain peelings, plantain trunks, plantain leaves, cocoa husks, cocoa pods, maize cobs, maize stalks, rice straw, groundnut straw and oil palm empty fruit bunches. The yam peelings showed the highest methane and bioethanol potentials, with 439 L methane (kg Total Solids)⁻¹ and 0.61 L bioethanol (kg TS)⁻¹ based on starch and cellulose alone due to their high starch content and low content of un-biodegradable lignin and ash. A complete biomass balance was done for each of the 13 residues, providing a basis for further research into the production of biofuels or biorefining from West African agricultural residues.     

超级电容器隔膜制备及其孔隙率对电化学性能的影响

根据隔膜性能要求,采用低浓轻刀打浆和高浓磨浆两种方式制备微纤化纤维,对制备的隔膜进行了物理性能检验,并针对不同孔隙率隔膜制备的超级电容器进行了电化学性能分析。结果表明,与低浓轻刀打浆方式相比,高浓磨浆可以有效地保留纤维长度,提高纤维长径比,在打浆度为85°SR时,隔膜抗张强度达到0.55kN/m,孔隙率为67%,葛尔莱透气度为41.7μm/(Pa·s)。随着隔膜孔隙率的提高,超级电容器的比电容在0.5 A/g电流密度下逐渐增大;孔隙率为68%的隔膜制备的超级电容器循环伏安特性曲线呈明显的矩形,表现出良好的电容性能。     

木质素调控制备果糖基碳微球及其电化学性能研究

本研究使用果糖作为碳源,木质素磺酸盐协同三嵌段共聚物P123作为模板剂,经过水热碳化法和高温碳化法制备果糖基碳微球材料。探究了木质素磺酸盐对果糖在水热条件下的组装过程及调控机制,并分析果糖基碳微球材料在电化学领域的应用。结果表明,木质素磺酸盐的加入是微球表面形成波纹状突起的决定因素。经高温碳化处理过后得到中空多孔的Yolk-Shell果糖基碳微球材料具有良好的电化学性能,其比表面积为535. 04 m~2/g,孔容为0. 26 cm~3/g;在电流密度为0. 1 A/g时,其比电容为96 F/g,能量密度为3. 16 Wh/kg,功率密度为28. 06 W/kg。     

Polymer/clay aerogel composites with flame retardant agents: Mechanical,thermal and fire behavior

Aerogel is a class of material characterized by its high void content and extreme lightness. Different polymer/clay aerogels have been prepared by a simply freeze–thaw process from a suspension with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) and clay (Na⁺-MMT). Low density polymer/clay aerogels modified with flame retardant agents were prepared using a similar approach. The addition of flame retardant agents slightly increased the apparent density of the final composites whereas the compression properties were reduced due to the decrease in the polymer/clay interfacial bonding. An exception was the sample containing Al(OH)₃ that exhibited higher modulus and stress at maximum deformation. Regarding thermal properties, the presence of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) or silica gel (SG) significantly slowed the rate of aerogel decomposition at the temperature range from 250 °C to 500 °C while the onset of polymer decomposition was not affected. Fire behavior was analyzed through cone calorimeter suggesting that either the presence of Al(OH)₃ or APP reduced the heat release rate of PVOH/clay systems.