The study of palm‐oil‐based bio‐polyol on the morphological,acoustic and mechanical properties of flexible polyurethane foams

The focus of this paper was to explore the acoustic properties of flexible polyurethane (FPU) foam modified by palm‐oil‐based polyol (POP). The presence of POP showed a marked influence on the microstructure and mechanical properties of FPU foam. A smaller mean pore diameter can be observed at lower POP content. Indeed, the introduction of POP caused a higher closed pore ratio and an increased air‐flow resistivity, which consequently improved the sound absorption coefficient and transmission loss. In particular, the acoustic performance of the all bio‐based FPU foam was enhanced at low frequency, and the density was lower than that of the reference foam. Additionally, the addition of POP also improved the compressive strength. Conversely, the tensile strength of FPU foam declined with increasing POP content. From this study, the outstanding acoustic ability of bio‐based FPU foam has been proved, with additional advantages of lower density and higher compressive strength. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Economic geology value of oil shale deposits: Ethiopia (Tigray) and Jordan

Oil shale is an organic-rich, fine-grained sedimentary rock, containing kerogen, from which liquid hydrocarbons (called shale oil) can be produced. The oil shale deposits in the Tigray region are found in the northern parts of Ethiopia, Eastern Africa. They are of Upper Paleozoic in age, existing as remnants of the Cretaceous erosion period, underlain by tillites and overlain by sandstones. They were formed during the glacial retreat followed by marine deposition of shales in a basin created by the enormous load of the glaciers. The Ethiopian-Tigray oil shale deposits cover an area extending over approximately 30 km², with an average mineable bed-thickness of 55 m, showing on the upper part inter-beds and laminations of shaley limestones. The oil shale resources in this region are estimated to be approximately 4 billion tonnes. The exploitation of the Ethiopian-Tigray oil shale deposits is an excellent alternative to fulfill the fuel and other petroleum products’ demand of Ethiopia. This study sheds light on the oil shale resources in the Ethiopian region of Tigray, as they are fairly investigated, regarding their geological characterization, and future strategies for their exploration and exploitation potential. In addition, the oil shale deposits in Jordan are also moderately investigated, as Jordan is considered a promising country for shale oil, taking into account that Jordan has no other hydrocarbon resources (such as crude oil and natural gas), unlike many other countries in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, as MENA sets on “seas” of oil and natural gas. Furthermore, oil shale in the USA is also briefly investigated, as the USA is being the world’s largest country of oil shale resources and reserves. Also, some other issues related to the oil shale industry are investigated, such as economics, extraction technologies of shale oil, and the environmental impacts.     

The relationship between oil prices and US economy revisited

The authors revisit the relationship between US economic growth and crude oil prices considering Industrial Production Index and West Texas Intermediate crude oil spot prices as respective proxies for a period spanning over January 1986 to June 2017. To capture the asymmetric and time-varying relationship, the authors employ maximum overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT)-based quantile regression (QR) analysis. Interestingly, MODWT-based QR analysis provides evidence of supply-driven link between crude oil prices and economic growth in the short run. However, in the medium to long run a demand-driven link is dominant. In addition, the QR results without MODWT also advocate a demand-driven link. Overall, the result of this study adds a new dimension to the literature on the relationship between crude oil prices and economic growth by focusing upon the time-frequency varying business cycle fluctuations.     

Protein quality and antioxidant properties of soymilk derived from black soybean after in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Protein quality and antioxidant properties of soymilk derived from black soybean (eight varieties) in China were analysed following in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion (including dialysis). Soymilk from black soybean possessed high okara weight but low yield, protein content and sensory scores. The in vitro digestibility of protein in all black soymilk samples was higher than 60%, and the Shenmu black soybean exhibited the highest digestibility. Non-digested milk from the black soybean exhibited significantly high total phenolic content (TPC) (127.15–173.04 mg/100 mL), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) (272.18–366.27 μmol L⁻¹) and DPPH free radical-scavenging activity (61.20–83.81%). These parameters were significantly lower in the non-digested soymilk than those in soymilk after gastric digestion but higher than those of soymilk in the dialysed fraction. Gastric digestion significantly increased bioactive compound levels released from black soymilk, and the bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds was 24.37–36.05%. Hence, black soymilk was sufficiently available for human absorption.     

International Trade

Values of net oil imports(-)/exports for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, the United States and Australia. Updated on a monthly basis. Number of imports for Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Other EU-15 (EU-15), Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, and Other Europe (OECD Europe), Canada, Chile, Mexico, and the United States (OECD Western Hemisphere), and Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, (OECD Asia-Pacific), and Total OECED. Current data for Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Other EU-15 (EU-15), Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, and Other Europe (OECD Europe), Canada, Mexico, and the United States (OECD Western Hemisphere), Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, and New Zealand (OECD Asia-Pacific). Updated on a monthly basis. Current data for principal importers of natural gas and the amount in which they import from United States, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy, Germany and Spain (Table 19.1). Current data for principal exporters of natural gas and the amount they export to Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Turkmenistan, Qatar, Algeria, Nigeria, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia (Table 19.2). Updated on a monthly basis.     

临涣选煤厂粗煤泥回收工艺优化的实践应用

临涣选煤厂针对洗选过程中存在的精煤泥旋流器组溢流跑粗、精煤泥弧形筛筛下水跑粗、精煤泥弧形筛脱水效果较差等问题，重点开展精煤泥分级旋流器组入料分配不均匀、筛分错配物影响、弧形筛脱水效果的现场攻关和研究。现场大量试验表明:通过停止精煤泥旋流器组，增加精煤泥弧形筛数量、减小筛缝尺寸，改变精煤泥弧形筛击打，改用高频脱水筛等方式，从源头上解决了精煤泥分级旋流器组跑粗，明显改善了精煤泥弧形筛筛下水跑粗的问题，提高了精煤泥弧形筛分选效果。在降低介泥灰分、减少浮选过程中粗颗粒的含量、缓解浮选回收压力、降低降低浮选油耗、提高浮选精煤灰分、保证精煤产率、节约生产成本方面有实践意义。     

油页岩干酪根热解产物特性研究

采用裂解色谱（PY-GC-MS）、电子顺磁共振波谱（EPR）和红外光谱（FTIR）等技术手段，分析了Estonia油页岩中干酪根及其热解产物的结构特性，研究了不同温度下中间产物与最终产物的关联性。结果显示：油页岩热解符合干酪根热解为中间产物热沥青，热沥青再热解为页岩油、干馏气和半焦等产物反应路径，中间产物热沥青的生成趋势反映了终产物的生成速率变化；H₂、CH₄和C₂~C₅组分主要来自热沥青中脂肪烃的芳构化、芳香族化合物烷基侧链的断裂及含氧化合物的缩聚等，干酪根热解产生的烷烃和烯烃类化合物是产油气的主要组分。干酪根和页岩油的自由基自旋浓度明显低于热沥青和半焦；半焦g值最大，干酪根次之，热沥青和页岩油的g值偏低。     

Microencapsulation of camellia oil to maintain thermal and oxidative stability with focus on protective mechanism

Camellia oil (CO) microcapsules were developed using chitosan–soybean protein isolate (CS-SPI) complexes as wall materials and transglutaminase (TGase) as the cross-linking agent. Results indicated that CO/SPI under the ratio of 1:2 exhibited the highest microencapsulation efficiency and yield, possessing the best encapsulation effect. Morphology observation showed that CO microcapsules were intact, compact and nearly spherical. The microencapsulated CO exhibited the improved thermal resistance and significantly lower peroxide values after 3 days storage, demonstrating that the produced microcapsule was a promising way to maintain the thermal and oxidative stability of camellia oil. It could be found evidence from FTIR, which indicated that covalent cross-linking and hydrogen bonding might be involved among wall materials, and physical interactions between the core and wall materials. Therefore, the produced CO microcapsules could be an effective way to protect camellia oil, which was helpful for improving the processing and storage qualities of camellia oil.