The effect of mixing on the generation of alkaline peroxymonosulfate

Alkaline peroxymonosulfate (PMS) has been successfully used in the laboratory for bleaching kraft pulp. Used in conjunction with oxygen, the addition of 1.0% PMS to an oxygen delignification system can increase delignification from 49% to 73% without reducing pulp strength. One promising method of achieving this is the catalytic oxidation of sodium sulfite with oxygen. Laboratory generation of PMS is readily achieved, but typically at low yields and low concentrations. Here we investigate the mixing‐sensitivity of its generation under semi‐batch reaction conditions using a number of laboratory mixers. Our primary focus was on the energy dissipation in the reaction zone and its effect on PMS yield and concentration. By managing the chemical contacting strategy and increasing energy dissipation in the reaction zone we were able to generate PMS at higher yields and concentrations than previously reported.     

Co‐Culture of Keratinocyte‐Staphylococcus aureus on Cu‐Ag‐Zn/CuO and Cu‐Ag‐W Nanoparticle Loaded Bacterial Cellulose:PMMA Bandages

Pressurized gyration and its sister processes are novel methods to produce polymeric fibers. Potential applications for such fibers include wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds, and filters. This study reports on a pressurized gyration technique that employs pressured N₂ gas to prepare biocompatible wound dressing bandages from bacterial cellulose and poly (methylmethacrylate) polymer blended with alloyed antimicrobial nanoparticles. Resulting bandages are manufactured with high product yield and characterized for their chemical, physical, and mechanical properties. Increased density in solutions with additional antimicrobial nanoparticles results in increased fiber diameters. Also, addition of antimicrobial nanoparticles enhances ultimate tensile strength and Young's modulus of the bandages. Typical molecular bonding in the bandages is confirmed by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, with peaks that have higher intensity and narrowing points being caused by additional antimicrobial nanoparticles. More so, the cellular response to the bandages and the accompanying antimicrobial activity are studied in detail by in vitro co‐culture of Staphylococcus aureus and keratinocytes. Antimicrobial nanoparticle‐loaded bandage samples show increased cell viability and bacteria inhibition during co‐culture and are found to have a promising future as epidermal wound dressing materials.     

微反应器中的混合对Cu-ZnO催化剂微结构形成过程的影响

通过对微反应器中流速的调控,研究了混合过程对Cu-ZnO催化剂微结构形成过程的影响。采用Villermaux-Dushman反应体系测量了不同流速下反应器中的混合状况,采用X射线衍射（XRD）、高倍电镜线扫（EDS）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）分析了对应流速下制备得到的前体和氧化物的结构。结果显示,混合强度增加,前体中的Cu²⁺、Zn²⁺分布更为均匀,绿铜锌矿的比例减小,锌孔雀石中的Zn含量提高;进而导致其热分解形成的氧化物中Cu-Zn分布也更为均匀,CuO-ZnO界面增加,CuO晶粒粒径减小。研究表明,沉淀反应时混合条件的改变,导致后续系列中间产物中Cu-Zn分布的差异,通过这一路径,混合对反应的影响最终作用于催化剂结构。     

Highly Enantioselective Co‐Catalytic Direct Aldol Reactions by Combination of Hydrogen‐Bond Donating and Acyclic Amino Acid Catalysts

Highly enantioselective co‐catalytic direct aldol reactions by a combination of simple hydrophobic acyclic amino acid and hydrogen‐bond donating catalysts are presented. The corresponding aldol products are formed in high yields with high regio‐, diastereo‐ (anti or syn) and enantioselectivity (up to 99.5:0.5 er). The catalyst loadings can be decreased to as little as 2 mol%.     

High activity and wide temperature window of Fe‐Cu‐SSZ‐13 in the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia

Fe‐Cu‐SSZ‐13 catalysts were prepared by aqueous solution ion‐exchange method based on the one‐pot synthesized Cu‐SSZ‐13. The catalysts were applied to the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with NH₃ and characterized by the means of XRD, UV‐Vis, EPR, XPS, NH₃‐TPD, and so on. The selected Fe‐Cu‐SSZ‐13‐1 catalyst exhibited the high NO conversion (>90%) in the wide temperature range (225–625°C), which also showed good N₂ selectivity and excellent hydrothermal stability. The results of XPS showed that the Cu and Fe species were in the internal and outer parts of the SSZ‐13 crystals, respectively. The results of UV‐Vis and EPR indicated that the monomeric Cu²⁺ ions coordinated to three oxygen atoms on the six‐ring sites and Fe monomers are the real active species in the NH₃‐SCR reaction. Furthermore, the influence of intracrystalline mass‐transfer limitations on the Fe‐Cu‐SSZ‐13 catalysts is related to the location of active species in the SSZ‐13 crystals. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 3825–3837, 2015     

Synthesis of monodisperse crosslinked poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) microspheres by precipitation polymerization in acetic acid

Poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) microspheres with size ranging from 1.6 to 1.8 μm were prepared in acetic acid by precipitation polymerization. The particle size and particle size distribution were determined by laser diffraction particle size analyzer, and the morphology of the particles was observed with scanning electron microscope. Besides, effects of various polymerization parameters such as initiator and total monomer concentration, divinylbenzene (DVB) content, polymerization time and polymerization temperature on the morphology and particle size were investigated in this article. In addition, the yield of microspheres increased with the increasing total monomer concentration, initiator loading, DVB concentration and polymerization time. In addition, the optimum polymerization conditions for synthesis of monodisperse crosslinked poly(styrene‐co‐divinylbenzene) microspheres by precipitation polymerization in acetic acid were obtained. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Synthesis of ZSM‐5 by hydrothermal method with pre‐mixing in a stirred‐tank reactor

This work proposed a synthesis route of ZSM‐5 via the hydrothermal method with premixing in a stirred tank reactor (STR). Effects of various operating conditions, including pre‐mixing time, molar ratio of SiO₂/Al₂O₃, TPAOH (organic template agents) concentration, NaCl (alkali metal cations) concentration, crystallization temperature, and crystallization reaction time, on the average particle size (PS) and particle size distribution (PSD) were investigated. It was found that the pre‐mixing time in the STR significantly affect the formation of proto‐nuclei in premixing process and crystal growth in hydrothermal reaction process, and consequently influence the PS and PSD of the prepared ZSM‐5. ZSM‐5 with good thermal stability, a PS of 380 nm, PSD of 0.17–0.9 µm, pore diameter of 2.31 nm, pore volume of 0.19 cm³ · g^?1 and specific surface area of 337.25 m² · g^?1 were obtained under the optimal conditions of a crystallization reaction time of 24 h, a crystallization temperature of 130 °C, a molar ratio of SiO₂/Al₂O₃ of 200, a TPAOH concentration of 3.5 mol · L^?1, NaCl concentration of 0.3 mol · L^?1, and a pre‐mixing time of 5 h. This work indicated that the operating conditions including premixing time have a significant effect on its PS and PSD.     

Co‐delivery of methotrexate and doxorubicin via nanocarriers of star‐like poly(DMAEMA‐block‐HEMA‐block‐AAc) terpolymers

Combined therapy is a promising strategy for clinical cancer treatment with synergistic effects. The purpose of the work reported was to evaluate a smart nanocarrier for co‐delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and methotrexate (MTX). Since star‐like nanocarriers can load a high dose of drugs with various properties, we developed star polymer nanomicelles based on poly[(2,2‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)‐block‐(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)‐block‐(acrylic acid)] having potential for multi‐drug delivery. The nanomicelles demonstrated high encapsulation efficiency, i.e. 97.1% for DOX and 79.5% for MTX. To this end, the star‐like terpolymers were synthesized via atom transfer radical polymerization with pentaerythritol as an initiator. The micellar properties and dual stimuli‐responsive behaviour of the terpolymers were investigated using transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering measurements, concluding that this co‐therapy offers a promising approach for cancer treatment. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

The impact of chaotic advection on the microstructure of polymer‐modified bitumen

Owing to the high viscosity of the materials involved, mixing is often a critical step when processing polymer‐modified bitumen (PMB), directly influencing the microstructure and the stability of final products. We provide experimental evidence suggesting that laminar chaotic advection may prove a valuable strategy for obtaining a homogeneous and finely interdispersed polymer‐bitumen mixture in affordable time. As a case study, we investigate the mixing performance of a lab‐scale flat‐bottomed cylindrical vessel stirred by a radial impeller, either located symmetrically or eccentrically with respect to the vessel axis. The same geometries with a flat‐disk impeller are also considered for comparison. The Mix‐Norm is used in combination with image analysis as an objective measure of mixing performance. Results of mixing performance are independently validated by rheological tests. The experiments pinpoint kinematic chaos as the fundamental transport mechanism enhancing both the dispersion process and the microstructural quality of the resulting PMBs mixture. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1870–1879, 2014     

Simulation on hydrogen storage properties of metal‐organic frameworks Cu‐BTC at 77–298 K

In recent years, many researchers have studied on the hydrogen storage properties of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) by grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation. At present, the GCMC studies of Cu‐BTC (BTC: benzene‐1,3,5‐tricarboxylate) which is a prototypical metal‐organic framework mainly adopt the classical force fields, the simulation temperatures are mainly focus on 298 and 77 K, and most researchers did not consider the effects of quantum effects at low temperature. Therefore, we used the quantum effects to correct the classical force fields and the force fields with more accurate simulation results were used to simulate the hydrogen adsorption performances of Cu‐BTC in the temperature range of 77–298 K and the pressure range of 1–8 MPa at each temperature. The results show that the effects of quantum effects on the hydrogen storage of Cu‐BTC cannot be neglected and the corrected Dreiding force field can simulate hydrogen adsorption performances of Cu‐BTC more accurately at low temperature. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 1383–1388, 2018     

催化剂组成对酸-碱交替沉淀法制备铜基甲醇合成催化剂的影响

采用酸-碱交替沉淀法制备了一种新型的低压甲醇合成催化剂。研究了催化剂组成的影响。当Al和Zr含量固定,随着Cu/Zn摩尔比的增加,催化剂活性先升高后下降,当Cu/Zn摩尔比为1时,活性最高。XRD结果表明,Cu/Zn摩尔比为1时制备的催化剂CuO与ZnO组分间相互均匀分散程度最大。Zr较明显地提高催化剂的活性和耐热性,Mn对催化剂的耐热性提高有一定的作用,La和Ce对提高催化剂活性的作用不大。     

沉淀过程对锰孔雀石结构及其演化过程的影响

锰孔雀石中的Mn含量对其后续演变和Cu-Mn催化剂的活性有重要的影响。本文利用搅拌釜反应器和微反应器制备了铜锰的碱式碳酸盐共沉淀物,研究了混合过程对Cu²⁺、Mn²⁺的共沉淀反应过程及共沉淀产物的后续演变过程的影响。采用X射线衍射（XRD）、热重质谱联用（TG-MS）、氢气程序升温还原（H₂-TPR）分析了前体、催化剂的结构及演变过程。研究发现,在混合较好的微反应器制备的样品中,锰孔雀石中的极限Mn质量分数为25%左右,明显高于文献研究从搅拌釜中得到的数值。通过对扩散-反应过程的分析发现,反应过程中的混合效果越好,制备得到的前体中锰孔雀石的含量越多且其中的锰含量越高。高锰含量的锰孔雀石在焙烧时会形成更多的Cu-Mn界面,进而产生更多的高温碳酸盐,最终的铜锰催化剂中Cu、Mn相互作用更强,催化活性更高。     

Stabilized Performance of Al‐Decorated and Al/Mg Co‐Decorated Spray‐Dried CaO‐Based CO2 Sorbents

The sharp loss‐in‐capacity in CO₂ capture as a result of sintering is a major drawback for CaO‐based sorbents used in the calcium looping process. The decoration of inert supports effectively stabilizes the cyclic CO₂ capture performance of CaO‐based sorbents via sintering mitigation. A range of Al‐decorated and Al/Mg co‐decorated CaO‐based sorbents were synthesized via an easily scaled‐up spray‐drying route. The decoration of Al‐based and Al/Mg‐based supports efficiently enhanced the cyclic CO₂ capture capability of CaO‐based sorbents under severe testing conditions. The CO₂ capture capacity losses of Al‐decorated and Al/Mg co‐decorated CaO‐based sorbents were alleviated, representing more stable CO₂ capture performance. The stabilized CO₂ capture performance is mainly attributed to the formation of Ca₁₂Al₁₄O₃₃, MgAl₂O₄, and MgO that act as the skeleton structures to mitigate the sintering of CaCO₃ during carbonation/calcination cycles.     

Effect of impeller type on continuous‐flow mixing of non‐Newtonian fluids in stirred vessels through dynamic tests

Mixing of non‐Newtonian fluids with axial and radial flow impellers is prone to a significant extent of nonideal flows (e.g., dead zones and channelling) within the stirred reactors. To enhance the performance of the continuous‐flow mixing of pseudoplastic fluids with yield stress, close‐clearance impellers were utilised in this study. We explored the effects of various parameters such as the type of close‐clearance impeller (i.e., the double helical ribbon (DHR) and anchor impellers), impeller speed (25–500 rpm), impeller pumping direction, fluid rheology (0.5–1.5% xanthan gum solution), fluid flow rate (3.20–14.17 L min^?1) and the locations of outlet (configurations: top inlet–top outlet, top inlet–bottom outlet) on the dynamic performance of the mixing vessel. The performance of the DHR impeller was then compared to the performance of various types of impellers such as axial‐flow (Lightnin A320) and radial‐flow (Scaba 6SRGT) impellers. The dynamic tests showed that the DHR impeller was the most efficient impeller for reducing the extent of nonideal flows in the continuous‐flow mixer among the impellers employed in this study. In addition, the mixing quality was further improved by optimising the power input, increasing the mean residence time, decreasing the fluid yield stress, using the up‐pumping impeller mode and using the top inlet–bottom outlet configuration. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

新型CuO/ZnO催化剂的制备及其在水煤气变换反应中的应用

首次采用沉积沉淀法,以Cu（OH）₂为前驱体制备不同CuO负载质量分数的CuO/ZnO水煤气变换（WGS）催化剂,并运用XRD、N₂物理吸附和TPR等方法对催化剂进行结构表征。结果表明,活性组分CuO在载体ZnO表面的分散程度、颗粒大小及CuO和ZnO之间相互作用对催化剂的活性均有影响。CuO的适宜负载质量分数为20％,所得CuO/ZnO催化剂样品WGS反应活性较好,在350 ℃,CO转化率可达95.5％。     

The effect of non‐ideal mixing on the number of steady states and dynamic behaviour for autocatalytical reactions in a CSTR

In this paper, we analyze the concentration multiplicity and dynamic behavior for an autocatalytical reaction, A + R → (n + 1)R + products with an overall rate expression given by – γ_a= kc_a^pc_r^r(p > 0 and r > 0) in a imperfectly mixed (Cholette's model) CSTR. We proved that non‐ideal mixing had an effect on the number of steady states and dynamic behavior for the reaction orders r > 1 and r = 1. However, the above‐mentioned effect does not happen for the reaction order r < 1. Furthermore, a simulated example was used to demonstrate our results.     

Pressure drop and mixing behaviour of non‐Newtonian fluids in a static mixing unit

Static or motionless mixers have received wide application in chemical and allied industries due to their low cost and high efficiency. The pressure drop and mixing behaviour of such mixers have been widely studied. However, the available information for non‐Newtonian fluids is scanty. The results of pressure drop and mixing studies conducted with a locally made motionless mixer (MALAVIYA mixer) and four non‐Newtonian fluids—aq. CMC, PVA, and PEG solutions are reported in this article. The new mixer causes less pressure drop compared to some of the commercial mixers. Mixing behaviour of the unit is more closer to plug flow and a two‐parameter model correlates the dispersion data.     

Fenton‐like degradation of rhodamine B over highly durable Cu‐embedded alumina: Kinetics and mechanism

Cu‐embedded mesoporous alumina, as a Fenton‐like catalyst prepared via a sol‐gel method, showed excellent activity and durability for the degradation of refectory compounds. The origin of active sites for the generation of hydroxyl radicals (?OH) were thoroughly studied using multitechniques. Cu, as the only active element, could be penetrated into the bulk of alumina and some Cu atoms were embedded into the framework. The dynamic structure of surface Cu species (the variety of Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ ratio) during the reaction were determined as well. Furthermore, the structure plasticity of catalyst has proved by optimizing preparation and reaction conditions. A 98.53% degradation of RhB was recorded within 30 min, following a pseudo‐first‐order reaction rate expression. Electron spin resonance spectra and ?OH scavenging experiments have confirmed that ?OH is the main reactive oxidant for the elimination of RhB. By the surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometer results, plausible pathways of RhB degradation were elaborated. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 538–549, 2018