A NEW OIL SEEPAGE IN THE OMAN MOUNTAINS AND ITS GEOLOGICAL,GEOCHEMICAL AND PETROLEUM SYSTEMS CONTEXT

A minor natural oil seepage is described from an unlikely setting in the Oman Mountains. The host rocks are fractured pelagic limestones of the lower member of the Triassic – Lower Jurassic Matbat Formation of the Hamrat Duru Group in the lower part of the allochthonous Hawasina Complex. This paper summarises Oman's established oil families and documents previously recorded oil seepages as context for describing the new seepage, its geochemistry, and possible source rock. The seep oil is different to those known from Oman's oil fields and probably derived from a poor quality, Mesozoic clastic source rock containing a mix of terrigenous and marine organic matter. The most likely source appears to be the Toarcian turbiditic upper member of the Matbat Formation, equivalent to the clastic Mafraq Formation of the Arabian Platform. The occurrence of source rocks in the allochthonous sediments of the NeoTethyan Hawasina Basin has been suspected previously, though their commercial significance remains to be established.     

Visible light active Cu-doped iron oxide for photocatalytic treatment of methylene blue

In recent work, pure α-Fe₂O₃ (F-1) and series of 5% Cu doped Fe₂O₃ (CF-5) , 10% Cu doped Fe₂O₃ (CF-10) and 15% Cu doped Fe₂O₃ (CF-15) nanoparticles by facile chemical coprecipitation method were synthesized to study the effect of concentration of doping for photocatalytic activity. As prepared F-1, CF-5, CF-10, CF-15 nanoparticles were subjected to X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) techniques to analyse the structural and functional groups features. These characterization techniques confirmed the successful doping of Cu ²⁺ ions in α-Fe₂O₃. The crystallite size of synthesized samples was calculated by Scherrer formula. Gradually decline in crystallite size from 18 to 15 nm was observed for undoped to doped samples. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis expressed that doping of Cu reduced the aggregation of particles and enhanced the surface area of nanoparticles. UV–Visible spectroscopic analysis of synthesized samples was used to calculate the bandgap energy of F-1, CF-5, CF-10, CF-15 nanoparticles i.e., 2.0, 1.7, 1.5, 1.4eV respectively. Narrowing bandgap energy of doped hematite supported to perform excellent photocatalytic activity. Maximum degradation of methylene blue was recorded via CF-10 within 140 min. Higher degradation rate of methylene blue by optimal concentration of CF-10 is due to effective electron trapping ability of photocatalyst.     

水力空化改质对重质原油沥青质及性质的影响

利用水力空化过程产生局部的高温、高压、高射流以及强大的剪切力等极端化学物理条件改质处理沙特重质原油，试验结果表明：沙特重质原油经过水力空化改质后粘度由13.61降低至7.22mm2/s，残碳由7.16%降低至6.48%，实沸点蒸馏后减压渣油降低1个百分点。进一步采用APPI FT-IR MS、XRD、FT-IR、SEM和粒度分布等技术研究了水力空化改质对沙重原油分子组成，沥青质团聚体微晶结构、沥青质胶束粒径分布、沥青质官能团、沥青质形貌等方面的影响，从分子角度阐述空化改质重油的机理。研究结果表明：水力空化改质后沙重原油分子量分布、芳烃类化合物缔合作用变小；沥青质对低DBE化合物吸附性能降低；沥青质团聚体微晶结构更加松散；沥青质胶束粒度分布降低；沥青质分子相互团聚作用力减弱。进一步考察了水力空化改质前后减压渣油延迟焦化性能，改质处理后焦炭产率降低1.85个百分点，液体收率和气体产率分别增加1.52和0.33个百分点，水力空化改质对沥青质性质、结构特点的改善能够有效的提高其加工性能。     

New food safety challenges of viral contamination from a global perspective: Conventional,emerging, and novel methods of viral control

Food- and waterborne viruses, such as human norovirus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, rotaviruses, astroviruses, adenoviruses, and enteroviruses, are major contributors to all foodborne illnesses. Their small size, structure, and ability to clump and attach to inanimate surfaces make viruses challenging to reduce or eliminate, especially in the presence of inorganic or organic soils. Besides traditional wet and dry methods of disinfection using chemicals and heat, emerging physical nonthermal decontamination techniques (irradiation, ultraviolet, pulsed light, high hydrostatic pressure, cold atmospheric plasma, and pulsed electric field), novel virucidal surfaces, and bioactive compounds are examined for their potential to inactivate viruses on the surfaces of foods or food contact surfaces (tools, equipment, hands, etc.). Every disinfection technique is discussed based on its efficiency against viruses, specific advantages and disadvantages, and limitations. Structure, genomic organization, and molecular biology of different virus strains are reviewed, as they are key in determining these techniques effectiveness in controlling all or specific foodborne viruses. Selecting suitable viral decontamination techniques requires that their antiviral mechanism of action and ability to reduce virus infectivity must be taken into consideration. Furthermore, details about critical treatments parameters essential to control foodborne viruses in a food production environment are discussed, as they are also determinative in defining best disinfection and hygiene practices preventing viral infection after consuming a food product.     

Evaluation of in-situ formed La2O3–TiO2–La2O2CO3 nanocomposite photocatalyst for H2 production

The photocatalytic evolution of H₂ over La₂O₃ decorated TiO₂ catalyst was examined under solar light. It was observed that during the course of the reaction, the transformation of La₂O₃/TiO₂ into La₂O₃–TiO₂–La₂O₂CO₃ occurred and these species effectively suppressed electron-hole pair recombination by forming electron trapping centres on the surface, resulting in an increased visible light absorption and improved H₂ yield. The 2 wt%La₂O₃/TiO₂ nanocomposite demonstrated better H₂ yield (～8.76 mmol (g_cat)^?1) than the bare TiO₂ (～1.1 mmol (g_cat)^?1). The catalyst was stable even after several consecutive recycles with no substantial loss of hydrogen production rate. The H₂ rates were correlated with the physicochemical characteristics of the catalysts examined by BET–SA, H₂-TPR, XRD, UV-DRS, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR, HRTEM, EPR and PL spectroscopy.     

Antioxidant Activity of Piceatannol in Canola Oil

Piceatannol has shown to be a strong antioxidant in vivo, however, its ability to suppress lipid oxidation in foods has not been examined. The present study is to examine the antioxidant effect of piceatannol on heated canola oil compared with that of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The oxidation of canola oil is conducted at 60, 90, 120, and 150 °C by monitoring the depletion of oxygen, the decrease in unsaturated fatty acids, and the changes of primary and secondary oxidation products. Results demonstrated that piceatannol can suppress lipid oxidation of canola oil in a dose-dependent manner with its effect being more effective than BHT. Practical Applications: Lipid oxidation is a major factor in the deterioration of food quality. Synthetic antioxidants, such as BHT and butylated hydroxyanisole, are used to inhibit oxidation in foods, but their safety has been always concerned. Piceatannol has exhibited a strong antioxidant activity to attenuate lipid oxidation and it should be further explored for use as a natural antioxidant in foods.     

核磁共振波谱法测定臭氧化橄榄油中的活性成分含量

以橄榄油为原料,经臭氧氧化制备臭氧化橄榄油。利用核磁共振(NMR)采集碳谱数据,积分碳谱特征峰,计算橄榄油被氧化成分的相对含量。结果表明:臭氧化橄榄油与橄榄油碳谱有明显的区别,臭氧化橄榄油在δ103.1处出现新峰,对应δ130.1处的峰高减弱,这是由于橄榄油中的不饱和双键被氧化。采用该方法测得5个臭氧化油中活性成分含量分别为21.46%、21.03%、21.31%、18.71%和24.42%。采用核磁共振波谱法测定臭氧化橄榄油的活性成分含量具有操作简单,不需要预处理,结果可靠的优点。     

一种植物油中苯并（a）芘含量测定的固相萃取前处理方法

为了建立一种准确性高、成本低的植物油中苯并(a)芘测定的样品前处理方法，基于GB 5009.7—2016以自制氧化铝柱为固相萃取柱，采用单因素试验对称样量、洗脱剂量、洗脱流速、吸附剂存放时间、吸附剂量这5个影响植物油中苯并（a）芘洗脱的因素进行研究，优化前处理条件，并对测定方法进行考察。结果表明：优化的前处理条件为称样量0.100 0 g、洗脱剂量120 mL、吸附剂（氧化铝）量22 g、洗脱流速1滴/2 s、吸附剂存放时间少于12周；方法检出限为0.2 μg/L，样品加标回收率为94.23%～100.00%，RSD为1.20%～7.36%；同一样品测定结果与SGS测定值接近，相对平均偏差为2.36%～3.50%。说明本试验方法测定结果准确，可应用于油脂企业植物油中痕量苯并（a）芘的测定。     

Heterogeneously Catalyzed Methanolysis of Gmelina Seed Oil to Biodiesel

The heterogeneous catalysis of transesterification of gmelina seed oil to biodiesel is evaluated. The oil was extracted from the seeds with n‐hexane by solvent extraction and characterized to determine its physiochemical properties. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the effect of process variables on the biodiesel yield. The base‐activated clay catalyst performed as montmorillonite clay with the characteristic property of a Brønsted acid. It has an improved surface area after activation that enhanced its catalytic activity on transesterification reaction. Under optimal conditions, the biodiesel yield was 70.1 %, thus demonstrating that the model predicted well the biodiesel production.     

冷低压分离器油相系统铵盐垢下腐蚀风险的模拟预测

为探究某加氢装置高压换热器管束腐蚀泄漏原因，利用Aspen Plus工艺模拟软件计算了冷低压分离器油相（简称冷低分油）中水质量分数分别为1%,2%,3%时，冷低分油系统的露点温度、氯化铵结晶温度、氯化铵潮解点温度和相对湿度。结果表明：相较于经验的露点温度预测方法，通过引入潮解点、划分系统“湿环境”温度范围判断氯化铵垢下腐蚀风险区域的方法与实际腐蚀案例更为切合；在3种油相含水条件下，换热器管束存在氯化铵垢下腐蚀的“湿环境”温度范围分别为：50~103 ℃,50~161 ℃,50~176 ℃；随着油相中含水量的提高，“湿环境”腐蚀区域逐渐向高温部位迁移，预计铵盐导致的垢下腐蚀将会愈加严重。