Chromium Oxide Supported on Mesoporous SBA-15 as Propane Dehydrogenation and Oxidative Dehydrogenation Catalysts

The catalytic activity and selectivity of Cr₂O₃ supported on mesoporous SBA-15 for non-oxidative and oxidative dehydrogenation of propane by O₂ and CO₂ have been studied and compared with those of Cr₂O₃/ZrO₂ and Cr₂O₃/-Al₂O₃ catalysts. Cr₂O₃/SBA-15 and Cr₂O₃/ZrO₂/SBA-15 are more selective to propene and more resistant to coking in comparison with Cr₂O₃/ZrO₂ and Cr₂O₃/-Al₂O₃ for non-oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. In oxidative dehydrogenation of propane by O₂ and CO₂, Cr₂O₃/SBA-15 also displays better activity, selectivity and stability than the other two supported catalysts. The propane conversion and propene yield on Cr₂O₃/SBA-15 catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane by CO₂ at 823 K reach 24.2 and 20.3%, respectively. XPS and TG/DTA have been used to characterize the catalysts before and after reaction. The differences in catalytic behavior of various supported Cr₂O₃ catalysts in the reactions have been discussed on the basis of the characterization results.     

Carbothermal synthesis, spectral and magnetic characterization and Li-cyclability of the Mo-cluster compounds, LiYMo3O8 and Mn2Mo3O8

The molybdenum cluster compounds, LiYMo₃O₈ and Mn₂Mo₃O₈ are prepared by the carbothermal reduction method and characterized by various techniques. The FT-IR at ambient temperature (RT), and Raman spectra at various temperatures (78-450 K) are reported for the first time and results are interpreted. Magnetic studies on Mn₂Mo₃O₈ in the temperature range, 10-350 K confirm that it is ferrimagnetic, with T_C = 39 K. Magnetic hysteresis and magnetization data at various fields and temperatures are presented. The Li-cyclability is investigated by galvanostatic cycling in the voltage range, 0.005-3.0 V vs. Li at 30 mA/g (0.08 C). LiYMo₃O₈ shows a total first-discharge capacity of 305 ±5 mAh/g whereas the first-charge capacity is only 180 mAh/g at RT. However, both values increased systematically with an increase in the cycle number and yielded a reversible capacity of 385 ±5 mAh/g at the end of 120th cycle. At 50 °C, the reversible capacity is 418 ±5 mAh/g at the 60th cycle. The coulombic efficiency ranges from 94% to 98%. The Li-cyclability behavior of Mn₂Mo₃O₈ is entirely different from that of LiYMo₃O₈. The total first-discharge and charge capacities are 710 ± 5 and 565 ±5 mAh/g, but drastic capacity-fading occurs during cycling. The reversible capacity at the end of 50th cycle is only 205 ±5 mAh/g. Plausible reaction mechanisms are proposed and discussed based on the galavanostatic cycling, cyclic voltammetry, ex situ XRD, ex situ TEM and impedance spectral data.     

Oxidative coupling of methane over LaF3/La2O3 catalysts

We studied the oxidative coupling of methane over the LaF₃/La₂O₃ (5050) catalyst. The catalyst was found active even at 873 K. At 1023 K, the C₂ yield was 12.7% at 26.0% CH₄ conversion and 49.1% C₂ selectivity. It was found to be stable and had a lifetime not less than 50 h at 1023 K. The catalyst was effective in C₂H₆ conversion to C₂H₄. XRD results indicated that the catalyst was mainly rhombohedral LaOF. It is suggested that the catalyst has ample stoichiometric defects and generates active oxygen sites suitable for methane dehydrogenation.     

Hydrogen Peroxide-Preconditioned Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Enhance the Recovery of Oligodendrocyte-Like Cells after Oxidative Stress-Induced Damage

Oxidative stress associated with neuroinflammation is a key process involved in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, and therefore, has been proposed as a crucial target for new therapies. Recently, the therapeutic potential of human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) has been investigated as a novel strategy for neuroprotection. These cells can be preconditioned by exposing them to mild stress in order to improve their response to oxidative stress. In this study, we evaluate the therapeutic potential of hASCs preconditioned with low doses of H₂O₂ (called HC016 cells) to overcome the deleterious effect of oxidative stress in an in vitro model of oligodendrocyte-like cells (HOGd), through two strategies: i, the culture of oxidized HOGd with HC016 cell-conditioned medium (CM), and ii, the indirect co-culture of oxidized HOGd with HC016 cells, which had or had not been exposed to oxidative stress. The results demonstrated that both strategies had reparative effects, oxidized HC016 cell co-culture being the one associated with the greatest recovery of the damaged HOGd, increasing their viability, reducing their intracellular reactive oxygen species levels and promoting their antioxidant capacity. Taken together, these findings support the view that HC016 cells, given their reparative capacity, might be considered an important breakthrough in cell-based therapies.     

Synthesis of Zn3Nb2O8 ceramics using a simple and effective process

Synthesis of Zn₃Nb₂O₈ ceramics using a simple and effective reaction-sintering process was investigated. The mixture of ZnO and Nb₂O₅ was pressed and sintered directly without any prior calcination. Single-phase Zn₃Nb₂O₈ ceramics could be obtained. Density of these ceramics increased with soaking time and sintering temperature. A maximum density 5.72 g/cm³ (99.7% of the theoretical density) was found for pellets sintered at 1170 °C for 2 h. Pores were not found and grain sizes >20 μm were observed in pellets sintered at 1170 °C. Abnormal grain growth occurred and grains >50 μm could be seen in Zn₃Nb₂O₈ ceramics sintered at 1200 °C for 2 h and 1200 °C for 4 h. Reaction-sintering process is then a simple and effective method to produce Zn₃Nb₂O₈ ceramics for applications in microwave dielectric resonators.     

Effects of O3, O3/H2O2 and Coagulation on Natural Organic Matter and Arsenic Removal from Typical Northern Serbia Source Water

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of ozone and the O₃/H₂O₂ process on FeCl₃ coagulation efficiency for the removal of the high content of natural organic matter (NOM) and arsenic (As) from groundwater (DOC = 9.27 ± 0.92 mg/L; 51.7 ± 16.4 µg As/L). Arsenic and NOM removal mechanisms during coagulation/flocculation are well investigated. However, data concerning arsenic removal in the presence of NOM, which is the subject of this article, are still insufficient. Laboratory and pilot plant test results have shown that the competition of NOM and As for adsorption sites on the coagulant surface have great influence on coagulation/flocculation efficiency for their removal. With both oxidation pre-treatments, arsenic content after the coagulation process was less than 2.0 µg/L in treated water. Application of ozone has a lower influence on coagulation efficacy in terms of DOC reduction, compared to the O₃/H₂O₂ process with the same ozone dose.     

Formation and Morphology of Zn(2)Ti(3)O(8) Powders Using Hydrothermal Process without Dispersant Agent or Mineralizer

Synthesis of Zn(2)Ti(3)O(8) powders for attenuating UVA using TiCl(4), Zn(NO(3))(2)·6H(2)O and NH(4)OH as precursor materials by hydrothermal process has been investigated. The X-ray diffractometry (XRD) results show the phases of ZnO, anatase TiO(2) and Zn(2)Ti(3)O(8) coexisted when the zinc titanate powders were calcined at 600 °C for 1 h. When calcined at 900 °C for 1 h, the XRD results reveal the existence of ZnO, Zn(2)TiO(4), rutile TiO(2) and ZnTiO(3). Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations show extensive large agglomeration in the samples. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and electron diffraction (ED) examination results indicate that ZnTiO(3) crystallites formed with a size of about 5 nm on the matrix of plate-like ZnO when calcined at 700 °C for 1 h. The calcination samples have acceptable absorbance at a wavelength of 400 nm, indicating that the zinc titanate precursor powders calcined at 700 °C for 1 h can be used as an UVA-attenuating agent.     

The catalytic oxidation of CO on superconductor Ba2YCu3O7–8

The measurements of MS-TPD, TPRS, the electrical conductivity and kinetics on Ba₂YCu₃O_7-8 show that the catalytic activity of CO oxidation is closely related to properties such as the amounts and sites of oxygen, and electrical conductivity. Based on the experimental results a reaction mechanism has been suggested.     

Decolorization and Modeling of Synthetic Wastewater Using O3 and H2O2/O3 Processes

This research deals with the decolorization of synthetic wastewater, prepared with the acid 1:2 metal-complex textile dye C.I. Acid Blue 193, using the ozonation (O₃) and H₂O₂/O₃ processes. To minimize the number of experiments, they were performed using the 2^k factorial design. Five influential parameters were examined: initial dye concentration, ozone flow rate, initial pH value, decolorization time and H₂O₂ addition. The decolorization efficiency was 95% in 20 minutes (pH = 7; O₃ flow rate of 2 g/L.h) and a higher increase in the toxicity after the ozonation process (39%) indicates the formation of carcinogenic by-products. According to the variance test analysis, the initial dye concentration, the ozone flow rate, the initial pH value and the decolorization time and their first- and second-order interactions are significant, while the H₂O₂ addition was not important with respect to the discussed range. With the help of these significant factors a regression model was constructed and the adequacy of the model was checked. The obtained regression polynomial was used to model the relation between the absorbance and the influential parameters by fitting the response surface. This response surface may be used to predict the absorbance result from a set of influential parameters, or it can be rearranged in such a way as to predict the set of process decolorization parameters necessary to reduce the absorbance of wastewater with the given initial dye concentration, below the prescribed limit. It is also shown that the 2^k factorial design can be suitable for predicting the operating expenses of the ozonation.     

Accommodation of impurities in α-Al2O3, α-Cr2O3 and α-Fe2O3

Atomic scale computer simulation was used to predict the mechanisms and energies associated with the accommodation of aliovalent and isovalent dopants in three host oxides with the corundum structure. Here we consider a much more extensive range of dopant ions than has previously been the case. This enables a rigorous comparison of calculated mechanism energetics. From this we predict that divalent ions are charge compensated by oxygen vacancies and tetravalent ions by cation vacancies over the full range of dopant radii. When defect associations are included in the model these conclusions remain valid. At equilibrium, defects resulting from extrinsic dopant solution dominate intrinsic processes, except for the largest dopant cations. Solution reaction energies increase markedly with increasing dopant radius. The behaviour of cluster binding energies is more complex.     

Influence of the Type of Reducing Agent (H2, CO, C3H6 and C3H8) on the Reduction of Stored NOX in a Pt/BaO/Al2O3 Model Catalyst

In this investigation, a comparative study for a NO _X storage catalytic system was performed focusing on the parameters that affect the reduction by using different reductants (H₂, CO, C₃H₆ and C₃H₈) and different temperatures (350, 250 and 150 °C), for a Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ catalyst. Transient experiments show that H₂ and CO are highly efficient reductants compared to C₃H₆ which is somewhat less efficient. H₂ shows a significant reduction effect at relatively low temperature (150 °C) but with a low storage capacity. We find that C₃H₈does not show any NO _X reduction ability for NO _X stored in Pt/BaO/Al₂O₃ at any of the temperatures. The formation of ammonia and nitrous oxide is also discussed.     

Arabidopsis Plasma Membrane ATPase AHA5 Is Negatively Involved in PAMP-Triggered Immunity

Plants evolve a prompt and robust immune system to defend themselves against pathogen infections. Pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered immunity (PTI) is the first battle layer activated upon the PAMP’s perception, which leads to multiple defense responses. The plasma membrane (PM) H⁺-ATPases are the primary ion pumps to create and maintain the cellular membrane potential that is critical for various essential biological processes, including plant growth, development, and defense. This study discovered that the PM H⁺-ATPase AHA5 is negatively involved in Arabidopsis PTI against the virulent pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pvr. tomato (Pto) DC3000 infection. The aha5 mutant plants caused the reduced stomata opening upon the Pto infection, which was associated with the salicylic acid (SA) pathway. In addition, the aha5 mutant plants caused the increased levels of callose deposition, defense-related gene expression, and SA accumulation. Our results also indicate that the PM H⁺-ATPase activity of AHA5 probably mediates the coupling of H₂O₂ generation and the apoplast alkalization in PTI responses. Moreover, AHA5 was found to interact with a vital defense regulator, RPM1-interacting protein 4 (RIN4), in vitro and in vivo, which might also be critical for its function in PTI. In summary, our studies show that AHA5 functions as a novel and critical component that is negatively involved in PTI by coordinating different defense responses during the Arabidopsis–Pto DC3000 interaction.     

The Synergistic Effect of Adsorption-Photocatalysis for Removal of Organic Pollutants on Mesoporous Cu2V2O7/Cu3V2O8/g-C3N4 Heterojunction

Cu₂V₂O₇/Cu₃V₂O₈/g-C₃N₄ heterojunctions (CVCs) were prepared successfully by the reheating synthesis method. The thermal etching process increased the specific surface area. The formation of heterojunctions enhanced the visible light absorption and improved the separation efficiency of photoinduced charge carriers. Therefore, CVCs exhibited superior adsorption capacity and photocatalytic performance in comparison with pristine g-C₃N₄ (CN). CVC-2 (containing 2 wt% of Cu₂V₂O₇/Cu₃V₂O₈) possessed the best synergistic removal efficiency for removal of dyes and antibiotics, in which 96.2% of methylene blue (MB), 97.3% of rhodamine B (RhB), 83.0% of ciprofloxacin (CIP), 86.0% of tetracycline (TC) and 80.5% of oxytetracycline (OTC) were eliminated by the adsorption and photocatalysis synergistic effect under visible light irradiation. The pseudo first order rate constants of MB and RhB photocatalytic degradation on CVC-2 were 3 times and 10 times that of pristine CN. For photocatalytic degradation of CIP, TC and OTC, it was 3.6, 1.8 and 6.1 times that of CN. DRS, XPS VB and ESR results suggested that CVCs had the characteristics of a Z-scheme photocatalytic system. This study provides a reliable reference for the treatment of real wastewater by the adsorption and photocatalysis synergistic process.     

Reduction of Biocide-Polluted Wastewater Using O3 and H2O2/O3 Oxidation Processes

The objective of the presented study was to test various oxidation processes with the aim being to reduce the concentration and toxicity of biocide wastewater from a Slovenian phytopharmaceutical factory. Laboratory-scale experiments employing two AOP processes – ozonation (O₃) and peroxone (H₂O₂/O₃) – were applied to reduce the concentration of the active components involved, i.e., methylisothiazolone (MI), chloromethylisothiazolone (CMI) and dichloromethylisothiazolone (DCMI). The reduction of the biocide wastewater load for the performed oxidation processes was evaluated using ecological parameters. The H₂O₂/O₃ oxidation procedure using an O₃ flow rate of 1g/L h, at a pH value of 10 and with the addition of 5 ml of H₂O₂ (0.3 M) proved to be the most effective treatment. The toxicity of the biocide-load wastewater with an initial EC₅₀ = 0.38%, decreased to EC₅₀ (24h) >100% and EC₅₀ (48h) = 76%.     

Effect of Y2O3 and Er2O3 co-dopants on phase stabilization of bismuth oxide

Bi₂O₃ compositions were prepared to investigate the effect of rare earth metal oxides as co-dopants on phase stability of bismuth oxide. Compositions containing 9-14 mol% of Y₂O₃ and Er₂O₃ were synthesized by solid state reaction. The structural characterization was carried out using X-ray powder diffraction. The XRD results show that the samples containing 12 and 14 mol% total dopants had cubic structure, whereas the samples with lower dopant concentrations were tetragonal. Comparing the lattice parameters of the cubic phases of (Bi₂O₃)_0.88(Y₂O₃)_0.06(Er₂O₃)_0.06 and (Bi₂O₃)_0.86(Y₂O₃)_0.07(Er₂O₃)_0.07 revealed that lattice parameter decreases by increasing the dopant concentration. The XRD pattern and the powder density results indicated the formation of solid solution in the studied systems. After annealing samples with cubic phase at 600 °C for various periods of time, phase transformation to tetragonal and rhombohedral occurs.     

Oxidative dehydrogenation of 4-vinylcyclohexene into styrene over ZrO2 catalyst promoted with Fe2O3 and CaO

The oxidative dehydrogenation of 4-vinylcyclohexene (VCH) into styrene was carried out in the presence of oxygen over a ZrO₂ catalyst promoted with Fe₂O₃ and CaO. Intrinsically, ZrO₂ showed high dehydrogenation activity, which resulted in 80% styrene selectivity with 45% conversion at 425 °C and LHSV 3 h⁻¹. When the ZrO₂ was further promoted with calcium and iron, CaO/Fe₂O₃/ZrO₂, the highest styrene selectivity of 88.9% was obtained as well as the lowest deactivation. The deactivation of catalyst was prohibited properly through the introduction of oxygen in the reactant together with the modification of Fe₂O₃/ZrO₂ with CaO. The CaO/Fe₂O₃/ZrO₂ showed constant catalytic activity and selectivity for more than 50 h without deactivation. The selectivity of styrene was strongly influenced by the mole ratio of O₂/VCH and 95% selectivity with 80% conversion was obtained at O₂/VCH mole ratio of 6 over Fe₂O₃/ZrO₂. It is thought that the oxidative dehydrogenation proceeds through the dehydrogenation (DH) of ring-hydrocarbon of VCH followed by selective combustion of hydrogen (SHC) and the high selectivity of styrene was achieved by the bi-functional role of ZrO₂ for DH and SHC reactions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Electrochemical reduction behavior of U3O8 powder in a LiCl molten salt

The reduction path of the U₃O₈ powder vol-oxidized at 1200 °C has been determined by a series of electrochemical experiments in a 1 wt.% Li₂O/LiCl molten salt. Various reaction intermediates are observed by during electrolysis of U₃O₈. The formation of the metallic uranium is caused from two different reduction paths, a direct reduction of uranium oxide and an electro-lithiothermic reduction. As the uranium oxide is converted to the metallic uranium, the lithium metal is more actively formed in the cathode basket. The reducibility of the rare earth oxides with the U₃O₈ powder has been tested by constant voltage electrolysis. The results suggest the advanced vol-oxidation could lead to the enhancement in the reducibility of the rare earth fission products.     

Effects of grinding and firing conditions on CaAl2Si2O8 phase formation by solid-state reaction of kaolinite with CaCO3

The effects of grinding and firing conditions on CaAl₂Si₂O₈ phase formation by solid-state reaction of kaolinite with CaCO₃ were investigated by differential thermal analysis (DTA)–thermogravimetry (TG), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and ²⁹Si and ²⁷Al MAS NMR. Unground and ground samples showed similar crystallization behavior at about 850 °C, and the crystallizing temperature was relatively unaffected by grinding. On the other hand, the crystalline products were strongly influenced by the grinding. Gehlenite (Ca₂Al₂SiO₇) was the dominant phase in the unground samples but layer-structured CaAl₂Si₂O₈ was dominant in the ground samples, together with a small amount of anorthite, which is the stable phase. The amount of anorthite gradually increased with higher firing temperature, the sample fired at 1000 °C being almost completely anorthite. Grinding treatment before firing was effective in accelerating the decomposition of CaCO₃ and extending the temperature range for the formation of CaAl₂Si₂O₈, a phase with local structure similar to that of layered CaAl₂Si₂O₈.     

Ru-Promoted CrO x /Al2O3 Catalyst for the Low-Temperature Oxidative Decomposition of Trichloroethylene in Air

A series of Ru-promoted CrO _x /Al₂O₃ as catalysts for the low-temperature oxidative decomposition of trichloroethylene (TCE) were characterized and evaluated in comparison with an unpromoted CrO _x /Al₂O₃ catalyst. Catalyst characterization was conducted by surface area measurement, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Catalyst performance in the TCE decomposition reaction was evaluated with respect to the initial catalytic activity, the rate of catalyst deactivation, and the product concentrations of CO and Cl₂ under dry or wet air conditions. The presence of a small amount of Ru, as much as 0.4 wt% in a CrO _x /Al₂O₃ catalyst, brought about several beneficial effects on the catalytic reaction performance. As compared with the unpromoted CrO _x /Al₂O₃, this Ru-promoted CrO _x /Al₂O₃ catalyst showed enhanced catalytic activity (249 versus 264 °C in terms of temperature at which 50% of TCE conversion occurred), a reduced concentration of CO (180 versus 325 ppm) in the product, and a decreased propensity to deactivation. Performance improvements of the Ru-promoted CrO _x /Al₂O₃ catalyst were thought to originate from its enhanced oxidation activity due to the coexisting highly-dispersed Ru oxides rendering less active Cr(III) to more active Cr(VI), and facilitating the process of supplying activated oxygen for the reaction system.