The Catalytic Effect of Organometallic Additives on Low-temperature Oxidation of Light Crude Oil During Air Flooding

To improve the safety of air flooding, static and dynamic oxidation experiments are conducted to research catalytic low-temperature oxidation (CLTO) technology. The results show that the additives can accelerate the oxygen consumption rate significantly. Saturates and aromatics are converted to resins and asphaltenes during low-temperature oxidation (LTO), and the addition of additives can enhance the changing trend. CLTO technology can accelerate the oxygen consumption and delay the gas breakthrough time. This study can provide guidelines to improve the safety and increase the application of air flooding technology.     

Oxidation Hardening Kinetics of the Rheological Function G′/(η′/G′) in Asphalts

Abstract

The authors used 9 asphalts oxidized at various temperatures and pressures to determine the hardening kinetics for the DSR function, an easily measured and meaningful surrogate for 15°C ductility that relates well to age-related binder deterioration. For each asphalt, there is a rapid initial period that slows to a constant rate period. This constant rate period can be represented by carbonyl formation (oxidation) rate times a hardening susceptibility (HS). For the DSR function and viscosity, the HS and initial jump were pressure- but not temperature-dependent. The DSR function initial jump was relatively higher than the viscosity initial jump.     

Microencapsulation of Fish Oil by Spray Granulation and Fluid Bed Film Coating

Abstract: The stability of microencapsulated fish oil prepared with 2 production processes, spray granulation (SG) and SG followed by film coating (SG-FC) using a fluid bed equipment, was investigated. In the 1st process, 3 types of fish oil used were based on the ratios of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (10/50, 33/22, and 18/12). Each type was emulsified with soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) and maltodextrin to produce 25% oil powders. In the 2nd process, 15% film coating of hydroxypropyl betacyclodextrin (HPBCD) was applied to the granules from the 1st process. The powder stability against oxidation was examined by measurement of peroxide values (PV) and headspace propanal after storage at room temperature and at 3 to 4 °C for 6 wk. Uncoated powder containing the lowest concentration of PUFA (18/12) was found to be stable during storage at room temperature with maximum PV of 3.98 ± 0.001 meq/kg oil. The PV increased sharply for uncoated powder with higher concentration of omega-3 (in 33/22 and 10/50 fish oils) after 3 wk storage. The PVs were in agreement with the concentration of propanal, and these 2 parameters remained constant for most of the uncoated powders stored at low temperature. Unexpectedly, the outcomes showed that the coated powders had lower stability than uncoated powders as indicated by higher initial PVs; more hydroperoxides were detected as well as increasing propanal concentration. The investigation suggests that the film-coating by HPBCD ineffectively protected fish oil as the coating process might have induced further oxidation; however, SG is a good method for producing fish oil powder and to protect it from oxidation because of the “onion skin” structure of granules produced in this process.     

Morphological features of electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles and its application as anode catalysts in polymer electrolyte formic acid fuel cells

Electrodeposited Pt nanoparticles on carbon substrate show various morphologies depending on the applied potentials. Dendritic, pyramidal, cauliflower-like, and hemi-spherical morphologies of Pt are formed at potential ranges between −0.2 and 0.3 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and its particle sizes are distributed from 8 to 26 nm. Dendritic bulky particles over 20 nm are formed at an applied potential of −0.2 V, while low deposition potential of 0.2 V causes dense hemi-spherical structure of Pt less than 10 nm. The influence of different Pt shapes on an electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid is represented. Consequently, homogeneous distribution of Pt nanoparticles with average particle of ca. 14 nm on carbon paper results in a high surface to volume ratio and the better power performance in a fuel cell application.     

Improved performance of Pd electrocatalyst supported on three-dimensional nickel foam for direct ethanol fuel cells

To improve the performance of direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs), a three-dimensional (3D), hierarchically structured Pd electrode has been successfully fabricated by directly electrodepositing Pd nanoparticles on the nickel foam (referred as Pd/Nickel foam electrode hereinafter). The electrochemical properties of the as-prepared electrode for ethanol oxidation have been investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results show that the oxidation peak current density of the Pd/Nickel foam electrode is 107.7 mA cm⁻², above 8 times than that of Pd film electrode at the same Pd loading (0.11 mg cm⁻²), and a 90 mV negative shift of the onset potential is found on the Pd/Nickel foam electrode compared with the Pd film electrode. Furthermore, the peak current density of the 500th cycle remains 98.1% of the maximum value for the Pd/Nickel foam electrode after a 500-cycle test, whereas it is only 14.2% for the Pd film. The improved electrocatalytic activity and excellent stability of the Pd/Nickel foam electrode make it a favorable platform for direct ethanol fuel cell applications.     

Use of heated milk protein-sugar blends as antioxidant in dairy beverages enriched with linseed oil

Antioxidant preparations were obtained by heating aqueous dispersions of milk protein and sugars at 110 °C for 10 min. The milk protein-sugar blends contained 3.5 g/100 g protein and 10 g/100 mL sugar (with various proportions of lactose, sucrose and their monosaccharide mixtures glucose/galactose and glucose/fructose). These preparations were added at low concentration (5 mL/100 mL) to the formulation of sterilized dairy beverages containing ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Dairy beverages were also formulated with non heated protein-sugar blends. The total color difference and hydroxymethylfurfural content in dairy beverages increased (P < 0.01) with increasing monosaccharide concentration in the antioxidant preparation. These effects were more important when the protein-sugar blends were pre-heated. Non heated protein-sugar blends did not reduce lipid oxidation during sterilization while pre-heated blends containing monosaccharides were the most effective. Hexanal and propanal concentrations after sterilization were respectively reduced by 100 and 78% when the final concentration of monosaccharides in dairy beverages reached 0.4 g/100 mL. Adding a small fraction of milk protein as pre-heated protein-sugar blend in functional dairy beverage formulations is a promising approach to prevent the oxidation of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids during sterilization treatment.     

Proton-conducting ionic liquid-based Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell membranes: The key role of ionomer-ionic liquid interaction

The paper deals with the synthesis and characterisation of proton-conducting ionic liquids (PCILs) and their polymer electrolytes obtained by blending modified Nafion membranes with different concentrations of PCILs. The PCILs are obtained by the neutralization of triethylamine with different organic acids. The first part of the paper studies the influence of acidity and acid structure on PCIL thermal and electrochemical performance, while the second part examines membrane conductivity and reveals it to depend more on PCIL structure than on its intrinsic conductivity. At 130 °C, conductivities exceeding 10 mS cm⁻¹ were obtained in fully anhydrous conditions.