Biodegradation of catechol by Pseudomonas fluorescens isolated from petroleum‐impacted soil

Bioremediation strategies have been applied to clean up petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) impacted sites. Introducing PHC degrading microorganisms (bioaugmentation) and enhancing the in‐situ nutrients availability (biostimulation) are widely used strategies. These strategies can be combined to lead to a better bioremediation performance. In this work, Pseudomonas fluorescens was isolated from a PHC impacted site. Through a 2³ factorial design plan, the effect of various combinations of nitrate, sulphate, and phosphate ions on the PHC bioremediation performance by P. fluorescens was investigated using catechol, an essential metabolic intermediate of BTEX degradation, as the sole carbon source. The maximum specific catechol degradation rate was chosen as the response to evaluate the catechol bioremediation performance. The ANOVA results indicated that the presence of nitrate ions alone lowered the maximum specific catechol degradation rate, which can be explained by the accumulation of nitrites and ammonia during the denitrification process by P. fluorescens. It was noted that dosing sulphate ions alone did not affect the bioremediation performance, which indicates P. fluorescens can grow in a sulphur‐limited environment. In contrast, the presence of sulphate and nitrate ions together can lead to a higher specific catechol degradation rate. This may be caused by the presence of sulphate that can suppress the production of nitrites. The importance of phosphate ions on catechol biodegradation was investigated. The absence of phosphate led to incomplete biodegradation. Introducing phosphate ions can accelerate catechol degradation, which can be explained by the secretion of organic acids.     

Improving the cold flow properties of biodiesel from waste cooking oil by ternary blending with bio-based alcohols and diesel from direct coal liquefaction

The utilization and popularization of biodiesel are always limited by its poor cold flow properties. Both bio-based alcohol and diesel from direct coal liquefaction (DDCL) has potential to enhance the cold flow properties of biodiesel. In this study, ternary blends of waste cooking oil biodiesel (BWCO) with DDCL and bio-based ethanol (ET) or 1-butanol (BT) were conducted to improve the cold flow properties of biodiesel. The pour point (PP), cold filter plugging point (CFPP), and cloud point (CP) of BWCO-ET, BWCO-BT, and BWCO-DDCL binary blends, and BWCO-ET-DDCL and BWCO-BT-DDCL ternary blends were comparatively assessed. Ternary phase diagrams were also applied to analyze the blending effect of the three components on the cold flow properties of biodiesel. Results showed that both DDCL, ET, and BT can remarkably enhance the cold flow properties of BWCO. When the ternary blends contain 20 vol.% BWCO and less than 40 vol.% ET or BT, DDCL together with ET or BT exerted positive effects on enhancing the low-temperature flow properties of BWCO, especially on the CP and CFPP. For ternary blends in 20:10:70 blending ratio, BWCO-BT-DDCL exhibited the lowest PP, CFPP, and CP of −23, −19, and −17°C, respectively. The crystallization behavior and crystal morphology of blended fuels are also observed via a polarizing optical microscope, and find that DDCL together with BT in biodiesel can effectively retard the aggregation of large crystals and inhibit crystals growth.     

Spray-coated PDMS/PVDF composite membrane for enhanced butanol recovery by pervaporation

In this study, spray-coating was used to prepare dihydroxypolydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite membranes with high flux and separation factor for biobutanol recovery from aqueous solution. A thin, smooth, and defect-free PDMS layer was prepared by spray-coating on polyvinylidene difluoride ultrafiltration membrane with little PDMS penetration. The effects of process parameters for membrane fabrication and pervaporation on membrane performance were investigated. A membrane with 2 μm active layer was obtained with a high flux of 1306.9 g/m² h. The optimal membrane with the highest pervaporation separation index (PSI) (19.15 kg/m² h) showed a total flux of 530.6 g/m² h and a separation factor of 36.1 at 37°C, and a PSI of 65.61 kg/m² h and a flux of 1927.0 g/m² h at 70°C. Membrane performance was affected by feed composition and temperature. Acetone-butanol-ethanol solution and fermentation broth gave lower butanol fluxes and separation factors compared to butanol model solution.     

Effect of hollow glass beads on density and mechanical properties of silicone rubber composites

In this work, low density hollow glass beads (HGB)/silicon rubber (SR) composites were prepared by solution method and flocculation process. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, tensile test, and friction test. The results show that the densities of SR composites decrease from 1.140 to 0.792 g/cm³ with the addition of HGB. By comparing theoretical density with true density, it can be estimated that the ratio of shattered HGB increase from 8.79% to 24.76%. Especially, the mechanical properties of SR composites were improved by surface modification of HGB. By adding surface-modified HGB at 5 and 10 wt%, the tensile strengths of SR composites were enhanced by 17.8% and 28.2%, respectively. In addition, tear strength, shore A hardness, compression set, and friction property were significantly ameliorated. Furthermore, the mechanism of surface-modified HGB in mechanical properties was analyzed.     

Enhancing flame retardant and antistatic properties of polyamide 6 by a grafted multiwall carbon nanotubes

In order to improve the flame retardancy and antistatic properties of polyamide 6 (PA6) at as low amount of additives as possible, an integrated-functional additive was synthesized by 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide (DOPO) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The results showed 2 wt% of DOPO-MWCNTs distributed in PA6 formed an electric network and decreased volume resistivity sharply to 3.1 × 10⁸ Ω cm. In other words, it helped PA6 to get to the percolation threshold of semiconductor. By using of 3 wt% DOPO-MWCNTs, the severe dripping in burning of PA6 was almost controlled. The possible reason was also ascribed to the network formed by evenly dispersed DOPO-MWCNTs, which strengthened the char structure and held severe dripping of PA6. As a result, the heat and smoke release were also suppressed obviously. The most important is that CO release was about half cut in CONE test.     

Atomistic simulations of functionalization of aramid fiber-epoxy nanocomposite

Owing to its high degree of crystallinity and orientation, the surface of aramid fiber is smooth, causing its low bonding strength with polymer matrix. This has restricted the application of aramid fiber in reinforced polymer materials. Effective methods are by introducing functional groups through surface modification and by increasing its surface roughness thereby greatly improving its bonding strength with the polymer. In this work, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation study fiber functionalized with hydroxyl (OH), carboxyl (COOH), and the silane coupling agent as nanofillers for polymer nanocomposites. The interfacial characteristics and the mechanical behavior of polymer nanocomposites are investigated. The results show that the functionalization can enhance the interfacial shear stress and tensile strength. The functional group not only provides a stronger interface, but also provides additional mechanical interlocking effect, which effectively improves load-bearing transmission capacity. The analysis of the micro-mechanism from the energy level also provides new insights for the functionalized design of nanocomposites.     

A (4-fluorophenyl)(phenyl)phosphine oxide-modified epoxy resin with improved flame-retardancy,hydrophobicity, and dielectric properties

The compound (4-fluorophenyl)(phenyl) phosphine oxide (4-FPO) was designed, synthesized, and used in the modification of epoxy resin (EP). The 4-FPO-modified EP was prepared by curing the reaction mixture of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and 4-FPO in the presence of 4,4′-diaminodiphenylsulfone (DDS). Compared with the unmodified EP, the limiting oxygen index value of the EP/4-FPO-0.6 (4-FPO-modified EP with 0.6 wt% of phosphorus) increased to 31.6%, and the sample achieved UL-94 V-0 rating. The peak of the heat release rate, average of the heat release rate, and total heat release of EP/4-FPO-0.6 were reduced by 39, 24, and 19%, respectively. Mechanism study showed that the quenching effect in the gas and barrier effect in the condensed phase were responsible for the enhanced flame-retardant properties of the 4-FPO-modified EP. The results showed that hydrophobicity and dielectric properties of the modified EP were clearly improved.     

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) authentication and batch-to-batch consistency for different types of paints using benchtop and handheld FTIR spectrophotometers for oil and gas industry

Standardization of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) fingerprint region for paints and assessment on the reproducibility using different spectrophotometers were investigated. While selective fingerprint regions may be confusing for technicians/analysts who are non-chemists, we attempt to generalize these regions (e.g., 1300–1000 cm⁻¹ for Epoxy part A and 1400–1000 cm⁻¹ for Epoxy part B) by choosing a universal region (2000–900 cm⁻¹) that works for different paints. Comparison result using a paired student t-test shows that the degree of similarity (r) values from the studied regions are not statistically different. The paint fails the screening analysis occasionally on-site when analyzed using handheld FTIR due to the higher level of noise that gives low r values (r < 0.900 ± 0.002). The same samples were analyzed using a benchtop FTIR and the r values are above 0.900 ± 0.002. While the screening may lead to a false rejection of the sample on-site, there could be occurrence of false acceptance. The on-site screening of EPZ part A with different formulations, for instance, shows that the r values over the entire IR spectrum are above 0.900 ± 0.002 when analyzed using handheld FTIR. After the samples were analyzed using the benchtop, the r values fall below 0.900 ± 0.002.     

One-step creation of hierarchical fractal structures

Relatively recently, we advanced a route to create, in a controlled fashion, combined horizontal and vertical stratified structures by simple and energy-efficient processing operations employing static mixing elements. While in state-of-the-art static mixing the focus is on layer multiplication, here the aim is to create hierarchical fractal structures. Therefore, the main question addressed in this article is how structures, rather than layers, can be multiplied. The key aspect is the addition of layers on the sides or in the midplane of the flow during the process; every addition step increases the hierarchy by one level. This article derives the general formalism for forming fractal structures with controlled hierarchy, and we develop the language required to design and construct the dies. The main part of the article addresses this main topic and is based on the splitting serpentine static mixer geometry that can be easily made on the parting surfaces of a mold on both the micro- and the macroscale. The second part of the article addresses the strategy to minimize the number of mirroring steps, eventually avoiding mirroring completely, and is based on the rotation-free multiflux static mixer geometry. With the design language derived, complex hierarchical fractal structures can be generated simply by changing the number and sequence of operators within extrusion dies or molds, providing a one-step solution to produce material structures for potential use in diverse applications ranging from advanced mechanical systems to photovoltaic devices, where controlled assembly of dissimilar materials, and the realization of huge interfaces and genuine cocontinuity throughout the cross section, is critical.     

硫杂杯芳烃-金属离子的新型配位化合物

选择性分离贵金属、放射金属、碱金属等金属离子是重要研究方向之一。硫杂杯芳烃是一类由硫原子桥链苯酚单元构成的大环化合物。作为第三代超分子材料,硫杂杯芳烃反应位点丰富,上边缘、下边缘以及桥链的硫原子上都有进行功能化的可能性,而功能化后硫杂杯芳烃能够表现出与金属离子优异的配位性能,从而达到选择性分离金属离子的目的。本文介绍了硫杂杯芳烃的合成历史、自身结构特点以及配位机理。在此基础上分析了在硫杂杯芳烃的上缘、下缘引入酯基、酰胺、亚胺/胺等官能团后与碱金属、碱土金属、放射金属、贵金属离子等的配位情况,总结了硫杂杯芳烃自身构型、杯环的大小、溶剂类型等对其配位性能的影响,并深入分析了与金属离子的不同配位机理。本文可以为开发高效选择性分离提取各种金属离子的技术提供理论依据。