Environmental assessment of flue gas cleaning processes of municipal solid waste incinerators by means of the life cycle assessment approach

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is an environmental assessment tool generally applied to products but also to processes. Features of the LCA of processes are presented in this paper. This approach was used to compare two flue gas cleaning processes: the typical wet-type process and the new transported droplets column process. The LCA result shows that the global environmental burden is similar between the two processes, which confirms the viability of the transported droplets column. The distribution of the environmental burden, however, is different between the two processes. The weak points of the transported droplets column are the pollution transfer from air to water and a larger volume to stabilize. Its strong point: it is more efficient in capturing dust particles and toxic pollutants. This process could be improved from an environmental standpoint by adding an electrostatic filter upstream of the transported droplets column to capture the particles. The laboratory results of the transported droplets column need, however, to be confirmed at a larger scale.     

Study of the telomerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with mercaptoethanol. Application to the synthesis of a new macromonomer

The telomerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) with mercaptoethanol initiated by 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile was first investigated at 70 °C and the influence of the type of solvent was studied. The results showed that well-defined telomers of DMAEMA could not be synthetized via telomerization of DMAEMA in water or water/acetonitrile mixture since the telomerization reaction is in competition with the nucleophilic addition of thiol onto the monomer. Transfer constants for mercaptoethanol in benzene and acetonitrile were determined by Mayo's and O'Brien's methods. The transfer constant obtained in acetonitrile (0,6) was higher than that obtained in benzene. This difference can be explained by the fact that the thiol was consumed by two reactions: nucleophilic addition and telomerization. The influence of solvents on the polymerization kinetics was enlightened. These results were applied to the synthesis of macromonomers of DMAEMA with isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM). These macromonomers were copolymerized with styrene.     

Numerical Simulations of the Effect of Conical Dimension on the Hydrodynamic Behaviour in Spouted Beds

The flow behaviours of gas‐solids were predicted by means of a hydrodynamic model of dense gas‐solid flow in spouted beds. Constitutive equations describing the particulate solids pressure and viscosity were implemented into a hydrodynamic simulation computer program. The effect of operating conditions (inclined angle and gas spouting velocity) on particle velocity and concentration in the spout, annulus and fountain regions were numerical studied. Both vertical and horizontal particle velocities increased with increasing spouting gas velocity. The diameter of the spout increases with decreasing the inclination angle. As the inclination angle is set greater than 60°, the spout cross‐section starts becoming bottlenecked, limiting the upwards flow of solids.     

Specific cationic photoinitiators for near UV and visible LEDs: Iodonium versus ferrocenium structures

Two iodonium salts based on a coumarin chromophore are investigated for polymerization upon light emitting diode irradiations (LEDs). They work as one‐component photoinitiators. They initiate the cationic polymerization of epoxides (under air) and vinylethers (laminate) upon exposure to violet LEDs (385 and 405 nm). Excellent polymerization profiles are recorded. Their efficiency is quite similar to that of a ferrocenium salt. Interpenetrating polymer networks can also be obtained through a concomitant cationic/radical photopolymerization of an epoxy/acrylate blend monomer. The light absorption properties of these new salts as well as the involved photochemical mechanisms are investigated for the first time through electron spin resonance, laser flash photolysis, steady state photolysis experiments. Molecular orbital calculations are also used to shed some light on the initiation mechanisms. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42759.     

Emulsifying and foaming properties of native and chemically modified peptides from the 2S and 12S proteins of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

The 2S and 12S proteins of rapeseed were isolated and subsequently hydrolyzed by pepsin or a combination of pepsin plus trypsin. The resulting hydrolysates had a 15% degree of hydrolysis and were purified by gel filtration chromatography in order to obtain homogeneous peptide fractions. Three major fractions, having an average peptide chain length of 7.5–11 amino acids, were recovered. Purified peptide fractions were acylated with butyric anhydride and sulfamidated with p-toluenesulfonyl chloride. The degree of modification was always higher than 90%. Emulsifying and foaming properties of native and chemically modified peptides were studied and compared to those of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as standard. A peptide fraction from the 15% hydrolysis of the 12S protein exhibited the best foaming properties. After sulfamidation, this peptide fraction showed a foam formation similar to that of SDS. Whereas the attachment of toluene groups generally improved the surface properties, the incorporation of an aliphatic chain of four atoms of carbon was detrimental in most of the cases. On the other hand, none of the native or hydrophobized peptide fractions was able to form a stable emulsion.     

A STUDY OF SILICONE OIL-IN-WATER EMULSIONS

Emulsions of silicone oil-in water were formed using a Brinkmann Polytron homogenizer with Igepal CO-530 as an emulsifier. Silicone viscosities ranged from 10 to 33,000 mPa.s at 25°C. Rheological characteristics and particle size analyses of silicone oil-in-water emulsions were studied. At high volume fraction of the dispersed phase (70%-75%), silicone oil-in-water emulsions were stable. At lower volume fractions (50%-60%), emulsions formed were less stable and the two phases easily separated in a few days. The emulsions formed with high volume fraction silicone oil show highly non-Newtonian behavior (shear thinning). Emulsions made with low viscosity oils had lower viscosities than those made from high viscosity oils. Relative viscosity-concentration data could be correlated by the Frankel and Acrivos Equation. Increasing the emulsifier concentration of 70% oil-in-water emulsions resulted in a decrease in mean droplet size and an increase in emulsion viscosity. Increasing the intensity of agitation also resulted in higher viscosity and smaller droplet size until a critical energy input above which droplet size increased. Emulsification with low shear mixing provides more control in decreasing mean droplet size with time.     

Design and Synthesis of Galactosylated Bifurcated Ligands with Nanomolar Affinity for Lectin LecA from Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Lectin A (LecA) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an established virulence factor. Glycoclusters that target LecA and are able to compete with human glycoconjugates present on epithelial cells are promising candidates to treat P. aeruginosa infection. A family of 32 glycodendrimers of generation 0 and 1 based on a bifurcated bis‐galactoside motif have been designed to interact with LecA. The influences both of the central multivalent core and of the aglycon of these glycodendrimers on their affinity toward LecA have been evaluated by use of a microarray technique, both qualitatively for rapid screening of the binding properties and also quantitatively (K_d). This has led to high‐affinity LecA ligands with K_d values in the low nanomolar range (K_d=22 nm for the best one).     

Mastering the structure of PLA foams made with extrusion assisted by supercritical CO2

In this study, the outcome of operating conditions of extrusion assisted by supercritical CO₂ for the manufacture of poly(lactic acid) foams was investigated. It was found that the temperature before and inside the die was the most prominent parameter to tune the foam properties. Foam porosity as high as 96% could be obtained (for die temperature between 109 and 112 °C), representing a total expansion exceeding 30. In this temperature range, low crystallinity (≈6%) was induced giving foams with high radial expansion i.e., large diameters and open porosity. At 112 °C, the CO₂ was able to greatly expand the foams, providing 73% of its potential blowing effect. On the other hand, a low die temperature (below a die temperature of 107 °C) induces a significantly higher level of crystallinity resulting in foams with closed‐porosity and a large longitudinal expansion due to higher strength of the polymer melt. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 45067.     

Influence of Phase Modifiers on the Degradation of Tri-n-octylamine/dodecane Extracting Mixture by an Acidic Solution of Vanadium (V)

The kinetics of degradation of a mixture of tri-n-octylamine (extractant) and various alcoholic phase modifiers in n-dodecane in contact with acidic aqueous sulfate solutions containing vanadium (V) has been investigated. The nature of the modifier influences the kinetics of degradation and an improvement of the resistance against the chemical degradation is obtained when secondary alcohol (2-nonanol) or tertiary alcohols such as 9-octyl-9-heptadecanol are used as phase modifiers instead of 1-tridecanol. For instance, the kinetic constant of degradation is divided by one half when 9-octyl-9-heptadecanol is used as phase modifier instead of 1-tridecanol. On the contrary, the alcohols containing aromatic substituents or fluorine atoms are responsible for an increase of the chemical degradation of the extraction solvent.