Toward optimisation of electrolytic reduction of solid chromium oxide to chromium powder in molten chloride salts

Electrochemical reduction of solid Cr₂O₃, in the form of an assembled cathode of porous pellets attached to a current collector, to chromium powder was investigated in molten CaCl₂ and a molten equimolar mixture of CaCl₂ and NaCl. The study focused on the influence of pellets preparation conditions, cell voltages and temperatures on the reduction process. Analyses were reported of the characteristics of the current-time plots of the constant voltage electrolysis under different conditions, cyclic voltammograms of solid Cr₂O₃ in the molten equimolar mixture of CaCl₂ and NaCl, the microstructures and elemental compositions of the reduced pellets. Particularly, attention was given to the intermediate product of the electrolysis, calcium chromites of various stoichiometries, aiming to achieve a better understanding and optimisation of the reduction process.     

Design and Modeling of Plug Flow Fluid Bed Dryers

Plug flow fluid bed dryers (PFFBD) have been used for drying of particulate solids such as salts, ion exchange resins, grains, and a variety of other products. The present article describes the use of a mathematical model for the scale-up of lab-scale batch fluidization data to design an industrial-scale PFFBD. Axial dispersion theory was used in conjunction with the tanks-in-series model to describe the non-ideal flow. The model was implemented in Matlab 6.5 and it can be used for easily fluidizing particulate materials. The proposed model is capable of analyzing both the exponential falling rate and constant rate drying periods. The model predicts the required dryer dimensions for a given throughput and desired final moisture content. The model can also be used to study the effect of different process parameters such as solids feed rate, inlet air velocity, and temperature on the required dryer dimensions and it can also be used to predict the moisture and temperature profiles along the length of the PFFBD.     

THE DESIGN OF FLIGHTS IN CASCADING ROTARY DRYERS

ABSTRACT

In designing cascading rotary dryers, it is important to size the flights correctly in order to ensure....     

Solvent-free copolymerization of rigid and flexible bis-1,3-benzoxazines: Facile tunability of polybenzoxazine network properties

We report the copolymerization of a flexible aliphatic-bridged bisphenol-based benzoxazine monomer comprising ten methylene units (BZ(10)BA) with two rigid benzoxazine monomers (commercially available Araldite 35600 and 35900) via a solvent-free cationic ring-opening polymerization process. The effects of monomer feed composition on polymerization behavior, thermomechanical transitions, and thermal degradation properties are reported. DSC of the ring-opening copolymerizations showed that the copolymerization behavior – in terms of polymerization onset temperature and total exothermic transition – depend greatly on the composition of the monomer feed. Samples containing larger concentrations of BZ(10)BA exhibited higher onset temperatures with lower polymerization enthalpies. The thermomechanical properties of the copolybenzoxazine networks, as evaluated by DMA, show a strong dependence on the monomer feed ratio, where higher Araldite content resulted in a higher T_g of the network. The most salient feature of benzoxazine copolymerization was revealed in the tailorability in thermomechanical properties, which were varied by 149 °C simply by changing the monomer feed ratio and the T_g was observed to be accurately predicted using the Fox equation.     

Basic functionalization of polyethylene in the melt

The production of a polymer containing basic functional groups via the reactive processing of polyethylene was investigated. Grafting of dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate, DMAEMA, to linear low-density polyethylene in the melt was carried out, and the effects of initiator type, feed composition, and reaction time and temperature were studied. The extent of grafting was determined by Fourier transform infrared and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the degree of cross-linking was observed by measuring the products' melt indices. Thermal stability of the product was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry. Materials containing up to 3 wt% of grafted DMAEMA were prepared. The choice of appropriate feed compositions and reaction conditions allows the production of a material containing the maximum amount of grafted DMAEMA, while minimizing cross-linking. The grafted polyethylene produced under these conditions is more stable than the starting material, suggesting an antioxidant effect of the grafted moieties. The functional polymer produced should be of interest for the preparation of polymer blends with acidic polymers by virtue of the miscibility enhancement that could occur as compared with the hydrocarbon precursor.     

Sugar fatty acid ester surfactants: Base-catalyzed hydrolysis

Rate constants for the base-catalyzed hydrolysis of sucrose laurate, sucrose α-sulfonyl laurate, and sucrose α-ethyl laurate were measured at several temperatures in pH 11 buffer. Activation energies and Arrhenius factors for the hydrolysis reactions were determined. At 27°C, sucrose laurate hydrolyzed fastest and sucrose α-ethyl laurate slowest. Activation energies and Arrhenius factors showed that both steric and electronic factors affect the rates of ester hydrolysis. Other work has shown that bacterial hydrolysis of sugar fatty acid esters is inhibited in the presence of either α-sulfonyl or α-alkyl groups. A kinetic study of base-catalyzed ester hydrolysis has revealed reasons for the inhibition of bacterial hydrolysis and provided information regarding ester stability at elevated pH.     

Sugar fatty acid ester surfactants: Structure and ultimate aerobic biodegradability

Ultimate aerobic biodegradabilities of an array of sugar ester surfactants were determined by International Standards Organisation method 7827, “Water Quality—Evaluation in an Aqueous Medium of the Aerobic Biodegradability of Organic Compounds, Method by Dissolved Organic Carbon” (1984). The surfactants were nonionic sugar esters with different-sized sugar head groups (formed from glucose, sucrose, or raffinose) and different lengths and numbers of alkyl chains [formed from lauric (C₁₂) or palmitic (C₁₆) acid]. Analogous anionic sugar ester surfactants, formed by attaching an α-sulfonyl group adjacent to the ester bond, and sugar esters with α-alkyl substituents were also studied. It was found that variations in sugar head group size or in alkyl chain length and number do not significantly affect biodegradability. In contrast, the biodegradation rate of sugar esters with α-sulfonyl or α-alkyl groups, although sufficient for them to be classified as readily biodegradable, was dramatically reduced compared to that of the unsubstituted sugar esters. An understanding of the relationship between structure and biodegradability provided by the results of this study will aid the targeted design of readily biodegradable sugar ester surfactants for use in consumer products.     

Odor Detection in Insects: Volatile Codes

Insect olfactory systems present models to study interactions between animal genomes and the environment. They have evolved for fast processing of specific odorant blends and for general chemical monitoring. Here, we review molecular and physiological mechanisms in the context of the ecology of chemical signals. Different classes of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) detect volatile chemicals with various degrees of specialization. Their sensitivities are determined by an insect-specific family of receptor genes along with other accessory proteins. Whereas moth pheromones are detected by highly specialized neurons, many insects share sensitivities to chemical signals from microbial processes and plant secondary metabolism. We promote a more integrated research approach that links molecular physiology of receptor neurons to the ecology of odorants.     

亚洲是否会成为全球技术创新的中心

亚洲在技术应用和创新方面获得了突飞猛进的发展，并将继续保持这种发展势头。亚洲的技术创新能力长期以来已经得到公认。现在与过去不同的是，创新正在与市场增长齐头并进。中国也正在用技术增强实力。看看“数字北京”工程和为主办2008北京奥运会开展的各项工作吧。北京有志提供非常先进的服务，这些服务要比现有数字城市基础设施提供的服务先进得多，甚至与亚洲一些先进城市相比也高出一筹。印度也在用技术增强实力，只要看看印度班加罗尔过去10年的兴旺发展就足够了。