Production of high purity rare earth mixture from iron-rich spent fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst using acid leaching and two-step solvent extraction process

Acid leaching and a two-step solvent extraction procedure were developed to produce high purity mixture of La and Ce from iron-rich spent FCC catalyst discharged from Dzung Quat refinery (Vietnam). Acid leaching of the spent catalyst with 2M HNO₃ and a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1/3 at 80 °C in 1 h dissolved almost 90% of La while 12% of Al and 25% of Fe were transferred to the leachate. The extraction of RE metals and main impurities such as Al and Fe by a mixture of di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) was investigated. Experiments showed that it was necessary to remove Fe before extracting RE and the optimum extraction conditions for a high recovery of RE while 0% of Al extraction were pH-1, contact time=10min, and D2EHPA/TBP volume ratio= 4: 1. At these conditions, the extraction yields of La(III) and Ce(III) were 72% and 89%, respectively. A two-step solvent extraction was developed to achieve a high purity of RE mixture, which included (1) the removal of impurity Fe by 25% (v/v) diisooctyl phosphinic acid (DiOPA) in n-octane for 140 min, (2) the extraction of rare earths by a mixture of di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and tributyl phosphate (TBP) in n-octane for 10 min without the need for adjusting the pH of the leaching solution.     

ATMOSPHERIC OCCURRENCE OF 2-NITROBENZANTHRONE ASSOCIATED WITH AIRBORNE PARTICLES IN CENTRAL TOKYO

2- and 3-Nitrobenzanthrones (NBAs) in airborne particles collected in central Tokyo on a seasonal basis from 1996 to 2001 are quantified and possible sources are investigated. The concentrations of 2- and 3-NBA are found to range from 49 to 831 fmol m^–3and 0.5 to 3.5 fmol m^–3, while the nitrated polycyclic hydrocarbons 1-nitropyrene and 2-nitrofluoranthene are found at concentrations of 100–492 fmol m^–3 and 10–97 fmol m^–3. Significant linear correlations are identified between 2-NBA and NO₂, a photochemical product, suggesting that 2-NBA is formed by atmospheric reactions of benzanthrone initiated by hydroxyl or nitrate radicals in the presence of NO₂. 2-NBA is not correlated with directly emitted compounds such as 1-nitropyrene. The concentration ratio of 2-NBA to 1-nitropyrene is 5 or greater in all samples. Nitrated polycyclic aromatic compounds formed by atmospheric reactions therefore appear to represent a substantial contribution to the mutagenicity of airborne particulate matter.     

Chemical Biology Approaches to Understanding Neuronal O−GlcNAcylation

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O−GlcNAc) is a ubiquitous post-translational modification in mammals, decorating thousands of intracellular proteins. O−GlcNAc cycling is an essential regulator of myriad aspects of cell physiology and is dysregulated in numerous human diseases. Notably, O−GlcNAcylation is abundant in the brain and numerous studies have linked aberrant O−GlcNAc signaling to various neurological conditions. However, the complexity of the nervous system and the dynamic nature of protein O−GlcNAcylation have presented challenges for studying of neuronal O−GlcNAcylation. In this context, chemical approaches have been a particularly valuable complement to conventional cellular, biochemical, and genetic methods to understand O−GlcNAc signaling and to develop future therapeutics. Here we review selected recent examples of how chemical tools have empowered efforts to understand and rationally manipulate O−GlcNAcylation in mammalian neurobiology.     

Analytical design of proportional-integral controllers for the optimal control of first-order processes with operational constraints

A novel analytical design method of industrial proportional-integral (PI) controllers was developed for the optimal control of first-order processes with operational constraints. The control objective was to minimize a weighted sum of the controlled variable error and the rate of change in the manipulated variable under the maximum allowable limits in the controlled variable, manipulated variable and the rate of change in the manipulated variable. The constrained optimal servo control problem was converted to an unconstrained optimization to obtain an analytical tuning formula. A practical shortcut procedure for obtaining optimal PI parameters was provided based on graphical analysis of global optimality. The proposed PI controller was found to guarantee global optimum and deal explicitly with the three important operational constraints.     

Optimal retrofit of a side stream column to a dividing wall column for energy efficiency maximization

A side distillation column is widely used to separate multicomponent mixtures into three products. However, this kind of column consumes considerable amounts of energy due to thermodynamic restrictions and the nature of the distillation process. Retrofit of the side distillation column to a dividing wall column (DWC) can result in significant energy savings. This study evaluated a systematic method for optimal retrofit of a side stream column to a DWC. The minimum energy requirement for the separation of a multicomponent mixture was used for a feasibility study. Subsequently, design and optimization was performed using shortcut, rigorous and response surface methodology. One case study was illustrated to demonstrate the proposed methodology. The results showed that the optimal retrofit of a side distillation column to the DWC could not only save a significant amount of energy, but also increase the capacity. This study highlights the potential for retrofitting a side stream column to a DWC from a techno economic point of view.     

Improving the attrition resistance of slurry phase heterogeneous catalysts

Slurry phase heterogeneous catalysts for processes such as Fischer–Tropsch (F–T) synthesis must exhibit a high degree of attrition resistance. The precipitated Fe–Cu catalyst used for F–T synthesis is quite weak in its as-prepared state. Spray-drying yields spherical particles which show some improvement in attrition resistance. However, the formation of fines (<5 μm) in this powder shows that it is not suitable as a slurry phase catalyst. In this paper, we report on the use of a silica binder to improve the strength of spray-dried agglomerates. The attrition resistance was measured using ultrasonic fragmentation followed by sedigraph particle size analysis. The attrition strength of the iron oxide catalyst agglomerates was compared to that of a commercial alumina powder, which was used as a reference material. The role of calcination (before or after spray-drying) and the method of silica binder addition (before or after spray-drying) was investigated.     

MgO(111) Nanocatalyst for Biomass Conversion: A Study of Carbon Coating Effects on Catalyst Faceting and Performance

Solid base metal oxide catalysts such as MgO offer utility in a wide variety of syntheses from pharmaceuticals to fuels. The (111) facet of MgO shows enhanced, unique properties relative to the other facets. Carbon coatings have emerged as a promising modification to impart metal oxide catalyst stability. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic properties of commercial MgO, MgO(111), and carbon coated derivatives thereof for 2-pentanone condensation. The dimer and trimer products of this reaction can be used as precursors for biofuels upon oxygen removal and thus have relevance in environmental sustainability. MgO(111) maintained impressive selectivity towards the dimer product after carbon coating, whereas the other catalysts experienced a decrease in conversion and selectivity as a consequence of the carbon coating. Our findings highlight the catalytic efficacy of MgO(111), provide insight into carbon coating for catalyst stability, and pave the way for continued mechanistic investigations.

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Green Nanoarchitectonics Using Cleistocalyx Operculatus Leaf Extract in the Preparation of Multifunctional Graphene Oxide/Fe3O4/Ag Nanomaterials for Water Decontamination and Disinfection

The demand for clean water has been increasing around the world. In this study, graphene oxide/Fe₃O₄/Ag nanomaterials with different graphene oxide:Fe₃O₄ ratios were prepared and determined the best formulations for water treatment. Ag nanoparticles were incorporated into the materials by a green reduction method using Cleistocalyx Operculatus leaf extract for the first time. The synthesized materials were characterized by FTIR, Raman, XRD, FESEM, EDX and VSM methods. The characterizations confirm that the materials have been prepared successfully with various element compositions and can be separated by outer magnetic fields. The results show that the GF31A sample with graphene oxide:Fe₃O₄ ratio of 3:1 and about 5 wt.% Ag in the composition exhibits the highest efficiency for chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and PO₄^3? removals. This material also induces good antibacterial and antifungal activity on harmful gram (+), gram (?), and fungi microorganisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica, Candida albicans with small IC₅₀ values (from 1.5 to 11.1 mg/L). More than 70% of COD, TN, PO₄^3? and 100% of E. coli have been removed from two real water samples treated with GF31A (0.1 g/100 mL). The results reveal that GF31A is a potential agent for water treatment application. Besides the newly using of Cleistocalyx Operculatus in the synthesis, this is also the first time various graphene oxide/Fe₃O₄/Ag materials have been systematically investigated for both water decontamination and disinfection with the ease of magnetically separation.

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Photocatalytic Disinfection of E. coli Using Silver-Doped TiO2 Coated on Cylindrical Cordierite Honeycomb Monolith Photoreactor Under Artificial Sunlight Irradiation

In this paper, TiO₂ and Ag-doped TiO₂ photocatalysts were coated on the cylindrical cordierite honeycomb monolith (CHM) to evaluate their photocatalytic disinfection against Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria under artificial sunlight irradiation. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed a single-phase anatase structure for TiO₂ samples calcined at 500 °C for 2 h. With the presence of Ag, the bandgap of TiO₂ becomes narrower, and the absorption edge shifts toward the visible region. 6 mol% Ag-doped TiO₂ (6Ag-T) showed a reduction of bandgap energy to 2.2 eV. TiO₂ and Ag-doped TiO₂ solutions were prepared and coated on the channels’ surface of CHM for antibacterial applications. Although monolithic TiO₂ caused a slight decrease in the number of alive E. coli, Ag dopant showed significant improvement in antibacterial properties. 6 mol% Ag-doped TiO₂ coated on CHM (6Ag-T/S10/M) showed strong antibacterial effectiveness against E. coli that the bacterial cell concentration dropped to zero after 1 h of exposure. Impressively, reusability tests with these materials showed superior performance, where the antibacterial remains unchanged after five or seven successive operation cycles.

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