Effect of Different Cosolvents on Transesterification of Waste Cooking Oil in a Microreactor

Biodiesel was prepared from waste cooking oil combined with methanol. The process was performed via transesterification in a microreactor using kettle limescale as a heterogeneous catalyst and various cosolvents under different conditions. n‐Hexane and tetrahydrofuran were selected as cosolvents to investigate fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). To optimize the reaction conditions, the main parameters affecting FAME% including reaction temperature, catalyst concentration, oil‐to‐methanol volumetric ratio, and cosolvent‐to‐methanol volumetric ratio were studied via response surface methodology. Under optimal reaction conditions and in the presence of the cosolvents n‐hexane and tetrahydrofuran, high FAME purities were achieved. Considering the experimental results, the limescale catalyst is a unique material, and the cosolvent method can reduce significantly the reaction time and biodiesel production cost.     

Al2O3 Colloidal Nanocrystals with Strong UV Emission

A facile sol–gel procedure has been developed for the synthesis of colloidal alumina nanocrystals. For the first time, optical characterization procedures were employed to study the quantum confinement effects in optical properties of the prepared Al₂O₃ sol. Accordingly, the hyperbolic band model was used to determine the optical band gap of colloidal alumina nanocrystals. X‐Ray diffraction pattern was used to study the crystallographic phase of the dried gel. Morphological characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) emission spectroscopy was used to determination purity of the Al₂O₃ powder. High‐resolution TEM showed that the diameter of colloidal nanocrystals is about 10 nm. Photoluminescence spectroscopy demonstrated that quantum yields for colloidal nanocrystals are 68% with 300 nm excitation wavelength. The experimental observations confirm that highly stable alumina sol with strong UV emission was synthesized. The mentioned optical properties have not been reported before.     

New approach to unsupported ReS2 nanorod catalyst for upgrading of heavy crude oil using methane as hydrogen source

Highly active ReS₂ nanocatalysts were prepared by CVD method and characterized by XRD, BET -BJH, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, TPR, NH₃-TPD, SEM, and HRTEM techniques. Catalytic activities were used in upgrading heavy crude oil using methane as hydrogen source. The results showed a significant increase in API and decrease in sulfur and nitrogen content of crude oil. RSM technique was used to investigate the interactive effects of temperature (200–400 °C), pressure (20–40 bar) and dosage of nanocatalyst (0.5–2 wt. %) on the performance of HDS reaction. The results represent that the maximum predicted HDS activity (74.375%) was estimated under the optimal conditions (400 °C, 20 bars, and 2 wt % of nanocatalyst). Also, the effect of reaction temperature, pressure and dosage of ReS₂ nanorods catalyst on HDN of heavy crude oil was investigated and highest efficiency in the HDN process (93%) occurred at 400 °C and 40 bar using 2 wt % ReS₂.     

In vitro antimicrobial effects of Myristica fragrans essential oil on foodborne pathogens and its influence on beef quality during refrigerated storage

Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) seed was subjected to the hydro-distillation method to extract its essential oil (NEO). Its main constituents were α-pinene (20.16%), sabinene (14.45%), and β-pinene (13.26%) with great antimicrobial and antioxidant actions. A novel edible coating was then fabricated based on the sage seed mucilage (SSM) and NEO, to ameliorate the quality and shelf-life of beef slices. The NEO-loaded SSM coating was able to significantly decrease the population of total viable count, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, psychrotrophic bacteria, and fungi. Moreover, lipid oxidation of beef slices was remarkably suppressed upon the application of bioactive NEO-loaded SSM edible coating, as compared with the control by Day 6. The coated beef sample, especially NEO-rich SSM coated ones perceived a higher consumer acceptance and firmness than the SSM coated and noncoated samples. The SSM edible coating containing NEO could therefore have the potential to control the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and lipid oxidation, and to improve the color stability and sensory properties of meat and meat products.     

A stochastic model for localized disturbances and its applications

A stochastic model for local disturbances, particularly for a temporal harmonic with random modulations in amplitude and/or phase, is proposed in this paper. Results for the second moment responses of a linear single-degree-of-freedom system to this type of stochastic loading demonstrate a significant change in response characteristics due to a small uncertainty. A local phenomenon may last much longer and resonance may be smeared to a broad range. Integrated with wavelet transform, the proposed approach may be used to model a random process with non-stationary frequency content. Especially, it can be effectively used for Monte Carlo simulation to generate large size of samples that have similar characteristics in time and frequency domains as a pre-selected mother sample has. The technique has a great potential for the case where uncertainty study is warranted but the available samples are limited.     

An outbreak of Salmonella mikawasima associated with doner kebabs

During October 1992 an increase in the number of isolates of Salmonella mikawasima, a rare serotype, was noted including a cluster of nine cases in the South West Thames region. A case control study was conducted and univariate analysis showed a statistical association between illness and eating at take-away A for cases compared with household controls (P = 0.003) and with neighbourhood controls (P = 0.0245). Cases were also more likely to have eaten kebabs than were controls or average take-away A customers, implicating doner kebabs as the most likely vehicle of infection. Plasmid profile analysis of the nine cases' isolates showed them to be indistinguishable and to be characterized by a single plasmid of approximately 60 MDa. The original source of the Salmonella mikawasima contamination was not determined, but food preparation practices for kebabs at take-away A were insufficient to protect against illness if contaminated. This outbreak was only recognized because of the unusual serotype, but could be an indication of a more widespread problem with doner kebabs.     

A New Criteria Decision Applied on the Primary Synchronization in the DS-WCDMA Interface of the UMTS System

In DS-WCDMA mobile systems such the UMTS, asynchronous cell site operation,assigning different long spreading code to each cell, yields the advantageof flexible system deployment. We can design an indoor system basedon an outdoor one. However, in general, much longer search time isrequired in asynchronous operation than in synchronous. This paperproposes three techniques to take decisions about synchronizationbased on observation of correlated signals. Classical decision criterialike maximum and threshold criterion are presented. A new decisioncriteria that we call Threshold&Max combined decision criteriais analyzed. The results of this new introduced technique is comparedwith the classical ones.     

Preparation and properties of novel polyurethane insulating coatings based on glycerin‐terminated urethane prepolymers and blocked isocyanate

Novel polyurethane insulating coatings were prepared from the reaction of glycerin‐terminated polyurethane prepolymers (GPUPs) and a blocked isocyanate curing agent (BIC). The GPUPs were prepared from the reaction of one equivalent of polycaprolactone polyol (CAPA 210) with an excess amount of 4,4′‐methylene bis(phenyl isocyanate) (MDI) and subsequent reaction of the NCO‐terminated polyurethane with glycerin. The BIC was prepared from the reaction of trimethylol propane (TMP), toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and N‐methylaniline (NMA). The polyols and curing agent were characterized by conventional methods while the curing condition was optimized via gel content measurements. The curing kinetics of the polyurethane coating were investigated and the kinetic parameters derived. The crosslink densities of the samples were determined via the equilibrium swelling method, using the Flory–Rehner equation. The relationships between the crosslink density and the electrical, physical, mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of the coatings were also studied. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Continuous hydrolysis of olive oil by lipase in microporous hydrophobic membrane bioreactor

Continuous hydrolysis of olive oil byCandida cylindracea’s lipase was studied in a microporous hydrophobic membrane bioreactor. Olive oil and buffer solution, fed continuously through two compartments partitioned by membrane, caused reaction at the interface of lipase-adsorbed membrane and buffer solution. Fatty acid was obtained in a single phase without being mixed with components of other phases. At all mean residence times, countercurrent flow mode was superior to cocurrent one. The lipase was adsorbed onto the membrane, and its adsorption was suggested to be partially specific from the experiments with enzymes having various levels of purity. The percent hydrolysis depended hyperbolically on the interfacial enzyme concentration. The hydrolysis seemed to be limited by diffusion of fat or fatty acid through the micropores of the membrane at higher interfacial enzyme concentrations. The lipase was stabilized significantly by glycerol added to the buffer solution. Satisfactory performance of the membrane bioreactor was obtained in a longterm continuous operation which lasted for 24 days by feeding buffer-glycerol (18.0%) solution over the adsorbed lipase. The operational half-life of the adsorbed enzyme was 15 days at 40 C.