Druids' Knowledge in Chemical Engineering: Analysis of the Illustrated Literature by Goscinny and Uderzo

The illustrated literature series Asterix (and Obelix) is commonly known as entertainment and distraction, but behind that mask, case studies for chemical production in small medium enterprises and the crucial role of research and development can be discovered. The series rightly puts chemistry and chemical engineering at the heart of success and prosperity. Overall, the motives exemplified are of high relevance today for chemical industry.     

New Bioactive Oxylipins Formed by Non-Enzymatic Free-Radical-Catalyzed Pathways: the Phytoprostanes

In animals and plants, fatty acids with at least three double bonds can be oxidized to prostaglandin-like compounds via enzymatic and non-enzymatic pathways. The most common fatty acid precursor in mammals is arachidonic acid (C20:4) (AA) which can be converted through the cyclooxygenase pathway to a series of prostaglandins (PG). Non-enzymatic cyclization of arachidonate yields a series of isoprostanes (IsoP) which comprises all PG (minor compounds) as well as PG isomers that cannot be formed enzymatically. In contrast, in plants, α-linolenic acid (C18:3) (ALA) is the most common substrate for the allene oxide synthase pathway leading to the jasmonate (JA) family of lipid mediators. Non-enzymatic oxidation of linolenate leads to a series of C18-IsoPs termed dinor IsoP or phytoprostanes (PP). PP structurally resemble JA but cannot be formed enzymatically. We will give an overview of the biological activity of the different classes of PP and also discuss their analytical applications and the strategies developed so far for the total synthesis of PP, depending on the synthetic approaches according to the targets and which key steps serve to access the natural products.     

Wheat bran-based biorefinery 2: Valorization of products

Wheat bran is multi-layered and consists of different cell types with different chemical compositions. The relatively high content of protein as well as the small amount of lignin is the key differentiator to other lignocellulose containing biomasses. Following the classical route of a biorefinery, bran may be disintegrated to a high extent and separated into fractions of high purity in order to build up new chemicals which serve as precursors for higher polymerized compounds. Secondly, bran contains substances that are per se valuables, but need to be further separated and purified.     

Comparison of Sampling Methods for Carbonaceous Aerosols in Ambient Air

Measurement methods for fine particle carbon were compared under field sampling conditions. Sampling methods included filtration, impaction, and adsorption-corrected filtration. Systems were operated side-by-side for nine consecutive days in the Los Angeles Basin. Analytical methods were compared separately. For organic carbon and total carbon, ambient measurements showed greater variability than could be accounted for by differences in analytical methods, and these differences are attributed to sampling methodology. The highest reported concentrations were obtained by quartz filter sampling; the lowest were from the sum of the impactor stages (excluding the quartz afterfilters). Positive artifact from the adsorption of gaseous vapors on quartz fiber filters was significant. However, correction for vapor adsorption by subtraction of the carbon value on the second of two filters in series did not completely eliminate the dependence of the apparent total aerosol carbon concentration on filter face velocity or sample duration     

Retrofitting of reinforced concrete beams using composite laminates

This paper presents the results of an experimental study to investigate the behaviour of structurally damaged full-scale reinforced concrete beams retrofitted with CFRP laminates in shear or in flexure. The main variables considered were the internal reinforcement ratio, position of retrofitting and the length of CFRP. The experimental results, generally, indicate that beams retrofitted in shear and flexure by using CFRP laminates are structurally efficient and are restored to stiffness and strength values nearly equal to or greater than those of the control beams. It was found that the efficiency of the strengthening technique by CFRP in flexure varied depending on the length. The main failure mode in the experimental work was plate debonding in retrofitted beams.     

Das Dekompositionsmodell nach Wand und Weber im Kontext der Prozessmodellierung

Whereas the benefits of decomposing process models are obvious, the question what actually characterizes a ??good?? decomposition of a business process model has been given little attention to date. In addition, the process of decomposition itself is considered as being an ??art?? in literature. Our approach for achieving a ??good?? decomposition is Wand and Weber??s decomposition model for information systems. As a first step in our investigation we aim to explore in how far the decomposition model can be adapted for business process modelling at all. The potential this model might bear for evaluating decompositions of process models has been promoted in literature quite often, while a corresponding investigation is still missing. We address this gap by the following research. In the long term, we intend to establish guidelines for decomposing business process models in a structured way.     

A Method for Particle Size Amplification by Water Condensation in a Laminar,Thermally Diffusive Flow

A new method is presented for the enlargement of particle size through condensation of water vapor in a laminar, thermally diffusive flow. The method involves the introduction of an air flow at temperature T _i into a wet-walled tube at a temperature T_w > T_i . This approach yields higher supersaturation values than either mixing or cold-walled condensers when operating between the same temperature extremes. Model results for the saturation profiles within the condensing region show that the peak supersaturations are reached along the centerline of the flow, and that the activation efficiency curves are steeper for large temperature differences when the cutpoint diameter is smaller. Experiments conducted with three types of aerosol, oleic acid (a water-insoluble oil), a mixture of oxalic acid and sulfate, and with ambient laboratory aerosol confirmed that condensational growth is achieved with this approach, although experimental cutpoints are somewhat higher than predicted for wettable particles.     

Minimizing Concentration Effects in Water-Based,Laminar-Flow Condensation Particle Counters

Concentration effects in water condensation systems, such as used in the water-based condensation particle counter, are explored through numeric modeling and direct measurements. Modeling shows that the condensation heat release and vapor depletion associated with particle activation and growth lowers the peak supersaturation. At higher number concentrations, the diameter of the droplets formed is smaller, and the threshold particle size for activation is higher. This occurs in both cylindrical and parallel plate geometries. For water-based systems, we find that condensational heat release is more important than vapor depletion. We also find that concentration effects can be minimized through use of smaller tube diameters, or more closely spaced parallel plates. Experimental measurements of droplet diameter confirm modeling results.

© 2013 American Association for Aerosol Research