Unique structure of fibrous ZSM-5 catalyst expedited prolonged hydrogen atom restoration for selective production of propylene from methanol

A unique mesostructured fibrous silica@ZSM-5 (HSi@ZSM-5) catalyst was synthesized via microemulsion ZSM-5 zeolite seed assisted synthesis method and successfully applied in enhanced propylene formation in methanol to olefin (MTO) process. Characterization of the catalysts were carried out by FESEM, TEM, XRD, TGA, N₂ adsorption-desorption, NH₃ and KBr probed FTIR. Catalytic performance of as-synthesized catalyst was examined using a micro-pulse reactor and compared with the commercial HZSM-5. The reaction mechanism was elucidated by in-situ methanol FTIR spectroscopy. It was found that HSi@ZSM-5 produced higher propylene selectivity (56%) and was stable for long time on stream (80 h), nearly three-fold higher than that of commercial HZSM-5. In addition, HSi@ZSM-5 displayed higher rate of methanol dehydration, surface methoxy species generation and olefin methylation, indicating that alkene catalytic cycle is the dominant reaction mechanism. The higher selectivity towards propylene was correlated to the existence of moderate acidity which impeded the formation of paraffins and polymethylbenzene intermediates. These observations are further supported by KBr probed FTIR findings which revealed negligible paraffinic carbon species on HSi@ZSM-5. Thus, the unique fibrous silica@ZSM-5 retarded coke deposition due to suppression of undesired side reactions thereby signifying intensified propylene formation, which is highly desirable in commercial MTO processes.     

Highly selective CuO/γ–Al2O3 catalyst promoted with hematite for efficient methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether

A recent alternative for replacing traditional hydrocarbons like gasoline, diesel, and natural gas, is the use of dimethyl ether (DME), which is more environmentally friendly. One of the ongoing challenges is to catalyze methanol dehydration for selectively producing the DME (2CH₃OH → CH₃OCH₃ + H₂O). It is established that the CuO catalyst over alumina performs the methanol dehydration, but the formation of by-products is the main drawback. For these reasons, we synthesized a CuO/γ–Al₂O₃ catalyst promoted with hematite aiming to enhance the activity toward DME at atmospheric conditions. The resulting bimetallic catalyst (CuO-Fe₂O₃/Al₂O₃) performed a 70% conversion at 290 °C, which is similar to other catalysts recently reported in the literature but done in harsh conditions. In addition, this bimetallic catalyst exhibited a 100% in selectivity toward the DME production. XPS spectra of the fresh and used catalyst suggested that the chemical oxidation states of Cu and Fe remain without change. After regenerating the catalyst at 600 °C for 2 h in air, it performed at a similar catalytic conversion, confirming the reusability of the as-synthesized material and reducing the environmental impact.     

A semicontinuous approach for heterogeneous azeotropic distillation processes

The separation of azeotropes has substantial energy and investment costs, and the available methods require high capital costs for reconstruction of process plants. As an alternative, a semicontinuous configuration that utilizes an existing plant with minor modifications has been explored. In this paper, a semicontinuous, heterogeneous azeotropic distillation process is proposed and acetic acid dehydration process is used as a case study. To carry out the simulation work, Aspen HYSYS^® simulation software is used along with MATLAB^® and an interface program to handle the mode-transition of the semicontinuous process. Sensitivity analyses on operating parameters are performed to identify the process limits. Comparisons are made to conventional heterogeneous azeotropic distillation, and dividing-wall distillation column on the annual cost. The results proved that the semicontinuous system is the best setup in terms of total annual costs and energy requirements.     

A molecular model for ion dehydration in confined water

Although ion dehydration in confined water is ubiquitous in many important processes concerning ion adsorption, transport and separation, and so forth, few theoretical models have been developed to unravel the mechanism of dehydration in confined space. Herein, a molecular model is proposed by weighing the molecular orientation of surrounding water within the first hydration shell, and then this model is applied to predict the hydration numbers and hydrated radii of simple ions with the help of molecular density functional theory. The predictions are rationalized not only with parallel simulations but also with relevant experimental measurements. We find that the ion hydration in confined water is depressed owing to the confinement, and thus the multilayer hydration shell is disturbed, which results in the decline of hydration number and hydrated radius, favoring the ion dehydration. This work provides an insightful route toward the quantitative understanding and prediction of ion dehydration in confined water.     

Coupling osmotic dehydration with heat treatment for green papaya impregnated with blackberry juice solution

Slices (1.5 mm thick) of green papaya were impregnated through osmotic dehydration with a blackberry juice–sucrose solution to produce an intermediate moisture product. The effect of processing temperature (T) and sucrose-added molality (m_sucrose) on mass transfer during the operation was assessed, using a response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM was used to model water loss, sugar and anthocyanin gain during the process. Increasing sucrose molality resulted in increasing water loss and sugar gain, but decreasing anthocyanin gain. Water transfer therefore limits anthocyanin impregnation, but not sucrose incorporation. Afterwards, the impact of heat treatment at high temperatures was analysed, using numerical simulation. The conditions of the combined process, designed to achieve an anthocyanin-rich final product, are low sucrose-added molalities (sucrose molality < 1 mol kg^–1) and high processing temperatures (T > 50 ºC) for osmotic dehydration, coupled with high-temperature, short-time (HTST) heat treatments for product stabilisation.     

炼油生化剩余污泥催化深度减量技术的工业应用

大幅减少炼油生化剩余污泥对降低企业污泥处理和处置费用、保护生态环境意义重大。考察了炼油生化剩余污泥催化深度减量SMR技术工业化的处理效果，运行结果表明：对含水率98.3%的炼油生化剩余污泥，经过SMR污泥减量装置的处理，污泥脱水性能得到显著改善，脱水残渣平均含水率57.1%、污泥量减少99.4%、挥发性悬浮物平均去除率78.3%、消解液BOD₅/COD比为0.31，达到了污泥深度减量化的目的。     

GPJ96/3-C型加压过滤机在新兴选煤厂的应用

介绍了新兴选煤厂使用GPJ96/3-C型加压过滤机与PG116-12圆盘真空过滤机的生产情况对比以及GPJ96/3-C型加压过滤机的工艺参数,并指出存在问题及解决措施.     

贵州大方坡缕石的热学性能研究

采用红外光谱分析、DTA、TG实验及静态加热失重等方法对贵州大方纤维状热液型坡缕石进行了研究.实验表明：坡缕石中存在四种类型的水,坡缕石脱水具有阶段性,＜400℃加热处理不会破坏坡缕石的结构;结晶度高的热液型坡缕石热稳定性好,有序度高的纤维状坡缕石放热峰温度高;在常温到420℃范围内,坡缕石脱失吸附水和沸石水的反应活化能小,为0.62 kJ/mol,脱失结晶水的活化能大,为5.12 kJ/mol.