Electrooxidation of CO and CO/H2 mixtures on a Pt-Sn catalyst prepared by an implantation method

A new type of ion implantation technique is used to create a non-equilibrium Pt-Sn(IMP) near-surface alloy with ca. 8.6 at% Sn. The surface composition was determined by low-energy ion-scattering (LEIS). The kinetics of the electrooxidation of CO and 2% CO/H₂ mixtures on Pt-Sn(IMP) is essentially identical to that of Pt₃Sn(110). The fact that any non-equilibrium composition can be easily prepared by this implantation method opens an interesting practical opportunity to create a new Pt-Sn alloy fuel cell catalyst having an otherwise unobtainable surface composition of Sn. This method also appears to have general utility in alloy catalysis as a means of exploring compositions in thermodynamically unfavorable regions of the bulk phase diagram. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Verlauf der Hydrierung pflanzlicher Öle - Makrokinetische Einflüsse

Course of Hydrogenation of Vegetable Oils-Macrokinetic Influence. Hydrogenation of vegetable oils is a complicated process whose course is not only influenced by the nature and properties of the catalyst and of the oil, which is to be hardened, of the temperature and pressure, but also by physical-chemical processes as adsorption, desorption and diffusion. During exploration of microkinetic phenomena, especially the way of formation of hydrogen dispersion in the reaction mixture and its influence on the curse of hydrogenation were investigated. Tne velocity and the character of hydrogenation were investigated. The velocity and the character of hydrogenation are significantly influenced by material transfer whose data are essentially changed by the shape of the stirrer, the rotation velocity and the way of the hydrogen supply. By increase of the efficiency of the flushing of Ni-catalyst particles with hydrogen the reaction velocity increases nearly in one scale of magnitude. Simultaneously the selectivity in dependence on the way of stirring of the reaction mixture and the hydrogen distribution was expressed.     

PMMA‐modified divinylester/styrene resins: Phase diagrams and morphologies

Binary and ternary experimental cloud‐point curves (CPCs) for systems formulated with a low molar mass synthesized divinylester (DVE) resin, styrene (St), and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were determined. The CPCs results were analyzed with the Flory–Huggins (F‐H) thermodynamic model taking into account the polydispersity of the DVE and PMMA components, to calculate the different binary interaction parameters and their temperature dependences. The St‐DVE system is miscible in all the composition range and down to the crystallization temperature of the St; therefore, the interaction parameter expression reported for a higher molar mass DVE was adapted. The interaction parameters obtained were used to calculate the phase diagrams of the St‐PMMA and the DVE‐PMMA binary systems and that of the St‐DVE‐PMMA ternary system at three different temperatures. Quasiternary phase diagrams show liquid–liquid partial miscibility of the St‐PMMA and DVE‐PMMA pairs. At room temperature, the St‐DVE‐PMMA system is miscible at all compositions. Final morphologies of PMMA‐modified cured St‐DVE materials were generated by polymerization‐induced phase separation (PIPS) mechanism from initial homogeneous mixtures. SEM and TEM micrographs were obtained to analyze the generated final morphologies, which showed a direct correlation with the initial miscibility of the system. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4539–4549, 2006     

Effect of catalysts in the quality of syngas and by-products obtained by co-gasification of coal and wastes. 1. Tars and nitrogen compounds abatement

The aim of this work is to analyse the possibility of using co-gasification technology to process coal mixed with wastes to take profit of its energy content and at the same time to minimize the environmental impact associated with the use of wastes and to diminish the costs of flue gas treatment. The addition to coal of different types of materials, like: pine based waste, petcoke and polyethylene (PE), was not found to give rise to any operational problems, regarding both the feeding system and gasification process and led to higher energy conversions, however, the gas presented higher tars and hydrocarbons content. Several catalysts were tested, such as, dolomite, olivine, nickel and magnesium oxides, zinc oxides and cobalt and molybdenum oxides. Catalyst action was analysed in tars release and also in ammonia compounds reduction. The presence of catalysts allowed increasing hydrogen release, whilst there was a decrease in hydrocarbons and tars contents. A nickel-magnesium oxide was the catalyst that led to the highest reduction in hydrocarbons and tars. This catalyst also led to the lowest NH₃ content in the fuel gas produced, due to the catalyst efficiency in NH₃ destruction.     

Thermal conductivity of magnesite refractories in the range 500–1800°C

Conclusions An experimental setup was developed for studying the thermal conductivity of refractories up to 2300°C on the hot face of the specimen.In the average temperature range of 500–1800°C a study was made of the thermal conductivity of magnesite refractories of different porosity. The experimental data obtained satisfactorily agree with well-known literature and calculated values for the thermal conductivity coefficients.Translated from Ogneupory, No. 1, pp. 17–21, January, 1972.     

Investigation of the oxidation kinetics of silicon carbide heaters

Conclusions In the range 1200–1500°C the mechanism of oxidation of industrial heating elements containing 97–99% silicon carbide is approximately identical with, and is controlled in the same way, as the oxidation of pure silicon carbide [1, 2], in the main by oxygen diffusion through a film of SiO₂.The relationship between the oxidation of various silicon carbide heating elements and time is described the equation q=K^b, where b comes within the range 0.3–0.5. The relationship between the oxidation rate of the heating elements and the temperature obeys the Arrhenius equation: K=K₀exp(–E/RT).The calculated activation energy for the process for various heating elements alters from 23 to 43 kcal/mole.The porosity of the heaters (up to values not exceeding 18%) substantially affects the oxidation capacity.Translated from Ogneupory, No.6, pp. 52–57, June, 1970.     

Reciprocating flow ion exchange part II: Application to saline water softening

The “hardness” components in sea water can be considerably reduced by means of a new economical fixed bed technique called “Reciprocating Flow Ion Exchange”, when used in conjunction with a closed cycle exchanger-evaporator system. Removal of 87.9% of the calcium and 54.5% of the magnesium in sea water has been obtained with an overall flow rate of 5.0 U. S. g. p. m./sq. ft. Results from bench scale and a 5,000 g. p. d. pilot plant were identical. The virtually continuous cyclic steady-state process requires a small amount of exchanger (0.5 to 2% of the usual ion exchange methods, such as conventional fixed beds or fluidized beds). The effects of variation in operating parameters are discussed.