Bench-scale production of liquid fuel from woody biomass via gasification

The bench-scale production of hydrocarbon liquid fuel was achieved from woody biomass via gasification. The daily production capacity of the biomass-to-liquid (BTL) plant used in this study was 7.8 L of hydrocarbon liquid from 48 kg of woody biomass (on a dry basis), corresponding to 0.05 barrels. The BTL process involved the following steps: oxygen-enriched air gasification of the woody biomass, wet and dry gas cleaning, gas compression, carbon dioxide removal, and the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis reaction. In the gasification step, oxygen-enriched air gasification was carried out using a downdraft fixed-bed gasifier. The content of oxygen, which acts as the gasifying agent, was increased from 21.0 to 56.7 vol%; maximum values of the conversion to gas on a carbon basis and cold gas efficiency-approximately 96 C-mol% and 87.8%, respectively-were obtained at an oxygen content of around 30 vol%. With the increased oxygen content, the concentrations of CO, H₂, and CO₂ increased from 22.8 to 36.5 vol%, from 16.8 to 28.1 vol%, and from 9.8 to 14.8 vol%, respectively, while that of N₂ decreased from 48.8 to 16.0 vol%. The feed gas for the FT synthesis reaction was obtained by passing the product gas from the gasification step through a scrubber, carbon dioxide removal tower, and desulfurization tower; its composition was 30.8 vol% CO, 25.2 vol% H₂, 0.9 vol% CO₂, 2.5 vol% CH₄, 40.6 vol% N₂, < 5 ppb H₂S, and < 5 ppb COS. The hydrocarbon fuel was synthesized in a slurry bed reactor using hexadecane as the solvent and a Co/SiO₂ catalyst. For hydrocarbons with carbon chain lengths of more than 5 carbon atoms (collectively referred to as C₅₊) in the liquid fuel, a selectivity of 87.5% was obtained along with a chain growth probability of 0.84 under the following conditions: 4 MPa, 280 to 340 °C, and a ratio of catalyst weight to feed gas rate (W/F) of 9.3 g·h/mol.     

Oral Toxicological Studies of Pueraria Flower Extract: Acute Toxicity Study in Mice and Subchronic Toxicity Study in Rats

Kudzu has been widely used as an herbal medicine in China. The root of the kudzu is also well known as an antipyretic and analgesic in treatment of the common cold, while its flower has been used to treat alcohol intoxication, alcohol abuse, and dysentery. Pueraria flower extract (PFE) is a hot water extract derived from the flower of the kudzu, Pueraria thomsonii Benth. (Fabaceae), oral intake of which exhibits anti‐obesity properties in mice and humans. In this study, we conducted acute and subchronic toxicity studies for an evaluation of safety. In the acute study, PFE (5 g/kg body weight) was orally administered to ddY mice. For 14 d after administration, no deaths or abnormal changes were observed in general signs, body weight (BW), or food consumption, and no abnormal findings were observed in the major organs and tissues of either males or females at necropsy. The oral LD₅₀ of PFE was therefore estimated to be higher than 5 g/kg BW. In the subchronic study, PFE was mixed into the diet in place of powdered CRF‐1 and administered at concentrations of 0% (control), 0.5%, 1.5%, and 5.0% to male and female Sprague–Dawley rats for 90 d. No mortality or toxicological changes were observed during the experimental period. Blood biochemical, hematological, and urinary parameters revealed no toxicologically significant changes. Furthermore, no anatomical or histopathological changes due to PFE were observed. The no‐observed adverse‐effect‐level of PFE was thus estimated to be 5.0% in the diet (male: 3.0 g/kg BW/d; female: 3.5 g/kg BW/d).     

Friction stir welding of aluminium lap joint by tool without probe

A friction stir welding process, with a rotating tool without a probe, was employed and applied to a lap joint of aluminium plate. The thickness of the aluminium plates was 0.5 mm. New tool shapes were developed. The tops of the tool were dome shaped. In this process, the rotating tool was plunged into the aluminium plate. The tool-rotating axis was vertical to the specimen surface, and then moved in the welding direction at a speed of 20 mm/s. Tool rotation speed was 18,000 rpm.

At tool plunge depths of 0.1 mm or over, it was possible to weld the two plates. At tool plunge depth of 0.1 mm, its joint was fractured at the weld interface. At tool plunge depth of 0.2 mm or over, the joints were fractured at the stir zone of the upper plate or the heat affected zone of the lower plate. Based on observation of the hardness profiles and the thickness change of the weld area, controlling factors of the joint strength are discussed.     

Impact Strength of Continuous-Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Silicon Nitride Measured by Using the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar

Three-point impact bending tests, using the split Hopkinson pressure bar method, were performed to evaluate the fracture resistance of monolithic silicon nitride (SN) and carbon-fiber-reinforced silicon nitride (CFRSN) ceramics. By applying ramped incident-stress waves in the split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus, relatively smooth stress-time curves could be recorded without using any artificial filtering process. The maximum load in the load-deflection curve of the CFRSN material increased, in comparison to its static value, when impact testing was applied. Such behavior was substantially different from that of the monolithic SN material, for which the maximum load values from impact and static testing were almost the same. The time dependence of strength in the CFRSN ceramic was then investigated by using relaxation tests, and the impact strength behavior could be explained by these results. Also, the shear strength was significantly dependent on the deformation rate, whereas the tensile strength was almost independent of it. The experimental results were compared with the numerical predictions of the stress distribution that were obtained by using finite-element analysis.     

Depolymerization and demetallation treatments of asphaltene in vacuum residue

The asphaltene fraction [hexane insoluble (HI)] of a vacuum residue (VR) was treated under ultrasonic irradiation at 40°C in THF or 150°C in 1-methyl naphthalene (1-MN) in the presence of an adsorbent composed of modified macro-reticular polystyrene resin. Such a treatment was found effective to convert the asphaltene into the hexane soluble (HS: maltene) without any hydrogen consumption. 61 and 72% of the HI was converted by the adsorption treatment at 40°C in THF and 150°C in 1-MN, respectively, to HS materials having lower molecular weights. About 65% of the metal contaminants in the original asphaltene remained with the newly formed maltenes after this treatment. Structural analyses of the asphaltene and maltene fractions before and after the treatment suggests decoagulation and/or depolymerization of the asphaltene into maltene, while the porphyrin moiety becomes soluble, being transformed to the maltene fraction. The roles of polar solvent, ultrasonic irradiation, and adsorbent are discussed based on the above results.     

无线通信系统的封装技术

本文讨论了两种适于低成本、小形状因子的无线通信系统的封装工艺。首先描述了一种嵌入式无源工艺，其目标在于减小RF前端模块的形状因子和基带电源供应，方法是使用高性能的电感、电容、电阻，以及在封装衬底上嵌入的衍生电路。其次，描述了一种新的堆叠封装结构，它适用于通信和无线产品。此封装方案在单一封装内集成高速处理器和存储器，提供优异的信号完整性和高布线密度。     

Inhibition of migrating lens epithelial cells at the capsular bend created by the rectangular optic edge of a posterior chamber intraocular lens

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To study the mechanism of the reportedly low incidence of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) in eyes treated with a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Various IOL designs, including the PC IOL, were studied using scanning electron microscopy. Rabbit lens capsules were studied histopathologically 2, 3, and 4 weeks after implantation of a PC IOL in one eye and a biconvex polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) IOL in the contralateral eye as a control. RESULTS: The optic edge of the PC IOL was sharp and rectangular, whereas that of the biconvex PMMA or silicone IOLs from various manufacturers had been smoothed and rounded by polishing. PCO was significantly reduced in the eye with a PC IOL in all rabbits. The lens capsule wrapped tightly around the optic edge of the PC IOL so that it conformed to the same shape and thereby created a distinct rectangular bend in the capsule or a rectangle between the optic edge and the posterior capsule. Migrating lens epithelial cells (LECs) were obviously inhibited at that site. CONCLUSIONS: A discontinuous capsular bend or rectangle created by the sharp, square optic edge of the PC IOL may have induced contact inhibition to migrating LECs and reduced PCO. How, whether, and to what extent this design-dependent effect is influenced by features of the IOL material needs to be clarified by comparison with results achieved with an IOL made from the same material in a different design and vice versa.     

Catalytic activity of pitch-based activated carbon fiber of large surface area heat-treated at high temperature and its regeneration for NO–NH3 reaction at ambient temperatures

The catalytic activity of a pitch-based activated carbon fiber (ACF) of very large surface area (OG-20A) was studied for NO–NH₃ reaction in a flow reactor at ambient temperatures. The ACF exhibited the highest activity in wet as well as dry gas among heat-treated ACFs so far examined by the present authors. The calcination at 1100°C was essential to exhibit the highest activity especially in wet gas. Although high humidity always retarded the reaction very markedly, its retardation was very much emphasized against NO of low concentration around 10 ppm. Sufficient amount of OG-20A-H1100 (3 g) allowed complete removal of 10–200 ppm NO by reduction and adsorption for initial 6 h even at least in wet gas at 25–30°C depending on NO concentration. The removal conversion decreased gradually for several hours following to the stationary one. The reactivity of adsorbed NO and NH₃ was examined in air to regenerate the period of complete NO removal over the ACF. The regeneration at 30°C was found optimum after the removal reaction at 25 or 30°C to provide the same period of complete removal by 3 h, leaking minimum amounts of adsorbed NO and NH₃. A higher reaction temperature of 35°C shortened the period of complete NO removal, and the successive regeneration at 30°C by 3 h failed in the complete NO removal in the second run. Oxygen appears necessary to regenerate the activity through enhancing the reaction of adsorbed NO and NH₃. NH₃ in the regeneration gas appears to inhibit the reaction of adsorbed species, increasing NH₃ leak.