Thermogravimetric study on pyrolysis of biomass with Cu/Al2O3 catalysts

The Cu/Al₂O₃ catalysts of three different compositions (10, 20 and 30 wt.% Cu loading), have been investigated with regard to their catalytic effects on pyrolysis of paper biomass species (up to 800 °C) by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) experiments. The results show that catalysts made devolatilization at lower (below 200 °C) and middle temperature (200–400 °C) regions in the pyrolysis of the biomass species, and the temperature reduction effects follow the order: 30 > 20 > 10 wt.% copper loading. Although the catalysts with 10 and 20 wt.% copper have shown almost similar activity, whereas dehydration reaction was enhanced almost 40% in the presence of 30 wt.% copper-loaded catalyst. At the same time, the amount of residue at the end of the reaction also decreased with increase in the copper loading from 10 to 30 wt.%. At higher temperatures (above 400 °C), the catalyst with greater copper loaded worked more nicely possibly due to the enhancement of the depolymerization reaction over dehydration of cellulose in presence of more basic catalysts. The catalysts were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD results show the formation of CuAl₂O₄ spinel and Cu₂O phase in the catalysts.     

Endeavor toward competitive electrochlorination by comparing the performance of easily affordable carbon electrodes with platinum

Kinetics of chloride ion oxidation was studied on graphite, glassy carbon (GC), and platinum electrodes. The performance of the electrodes was monitored using the cumulative productivity and current efficiency of the cell as indicators. It was seen that the performance of the working electrode improved with repeated uses, the current efficiency increased from 22% in the third use to about 46% in the tenth use. The study also revealed that the role of diffusion to the total anodic current was insignificant and chloride ions were transported at the electrode surface only by conduction. The hypochlorite production in case of platinum was about 3.66 times than that of graphite and GC with the current efficiency of 75% in contrast to 46% found in graphite and GC. But platinum undergoes passivation to a significant extent unlike the graphite and GC electrodes. Chronopotentiometry experiments confirmed the passivation process in platinum electrodes, showed a steep rise in potential from 1.2 to 2?V while the electrode potential was uniformly maintained at 1.7?V in carbon electrodes. The highest i_o, exchange current density value was observed at 0.45?mA/cm² in 0.5?M electrolyte, which is an indication of improved electrocatalytic activity with increased molar concentration. After continuous uses the corrosion rate studies revealed that platinum and GC electrodes were corrosion resistant whereas graphite underwent corrosion at the rate of 0.006?mm/h. The study dictated that carbon electrodes has great potential to be used as an alternatives to platinum electrodes, however, further investigations are required to assess its practical applicability in the public water supply system.     

Graphene growth on Ni(111) by transformation of a surface carbide

A novel growth mechanism of graphene on Ni(111) has been discovered that occurs at temperatures below 460 °C. At these conditions, a surface-confined nickel-carbide phase coexists with single layer graphene. The graphene grows by in-plane transformation of the carbide along a one-dimensional phase-boundary, which is distinctively different from known growth processes on other transition metals and on Ni above 460 °C, where carbon atoms attach to "free" edges of graphene islands.     

Preparation and characterizations of Ni-alumina,Ni-ceria and Ni-alumina/ceria catalysts and their performance in biomass pyrolysis

The catalytic activity of Ni/Al₂O₃, Ni/CeO₂, and Ni/Al₂O₃-CeO₂ catalysts of different compositions were investigated over biomass pyrolysis process. Catalysts were prepared using co-precipitation method with various compositions of nickel and support materials. Surface characterizations of the materials were evaluated using XRD, SEM, and BET surface area analysis with N₂ adsorption isotherm. XRD analysis reveals the presence of Al₂O₃, CeO₂, NiO, and NiAl₂O₄ phases in the catalysts. Paper samples used for daily writing purposes were chosen as biomass source in pyrolysis. TGA experiment was performed on biomass with and without presence of catalysts, which resulted in the decrease of initial degradation temperature of paper biomass with the influence of catalysts. In a fixed-bed reactor, untreated and catalyst mixed biomasses were pyrolyzed up to 800 °C, with a residence time of 15 min. The non-condensable gases were collected through gas bags every after 100 °C and also at 5, 10, and 15 min residence time at 800 °C, which were analyzed using TCD-GC equipment. Comparative distributions of solid, liquid and gaseous components were made. Results indicated diminished amount of tar production in presence of catalysts. 30 wt% Ni/CeO₂ catalyst yielded least amount of tar product. The least amount of CO was produced over the same catalyst. According to gas analysis result, 30 wt% Ni doped alumina sample produced maximum amount of H₂ production with 43.5 vol% at 800 °C (15 min residence time).     

Effects of luteinizing hormone on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma in the rat ovary before and after the gonadotropin surge

We have shown previously that mRNA for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is expressed in granulosa cells and downregulated by the luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. The current studies were undertaken to test the hypothesis that LH stimulates a decrease in the expression of PPARgamma, as well as its activity, in granulosa cells. Ovaries were collected from immature rats 0 and 48 h after they received pregnant mares' serum gonadotropin (PMSG), and 4 and 24 h after administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), and used for protein isolation or processed for immunolocalization of PPARgamma. The amount of phosphorylated PPARgamma was measured by immunoblot analysis to determine how LH affects the phosphorylation status, and therefore the activity, of PPARgamma. Granulosa cells were also collected from immature rats 48 h after PMSG. Cells were cultured with LH in the absence and presence of H89 and cycloheximide to investigate the role of PKA and protein synthesis in the LH-mediated decline in mRNA for PPARgamma respectively. Protein corresponding to PPARgamma was localized to nuclei of granulosa cells 0 and 48 h after PMSG. Expression was greatly reduced by 4 h after hCG, with expression in mural granulosa cells lost before that in cumulus cells. The amount of phosphorylated PPARgamma did not change during the periovulatory period. Blocking PKA activity had no effect on levels of mRNA for PPARgamma. However, levels of mRNA for PPARgamma were significantly increased in cells treated with cycloheximide (P < 0.05, ANOVA followed by Tukey's HSD). These data suggest that PPARgamma is tightly regulated in the ovary and that its expression is the primary mechanism by which LH influences the activity of PPARgamma. In addition, protein synthesis may be involved in modulating levels of PPARgamma in granulosa cells.     

Thermogravimetric characteristics and kinetic study of biomass co-pyrolysis with plastics

The pyrolysis of pure biomass, high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), plastic mixtures [HDPE+PP+PET (1: 1: 1)], and biomass/plastic mixture (9: 1, 3: 1, 1: 1, 1: 3 and 1: 9) were investigated by using a thermogravimetric analyzer under a heating rate at 10 °C/min from room temperature to 800 °C. Paper was selected as the biomass sample. Results obtained from this comprehensive investigation indicated that biomass was decomposed mainly in the temperature range of 290–420 °C, whereas thermal degradation temperature of plastic mixture is 390–550 °C. The percentage weight loss difference (W) between experimental and theoretical ones was calculated, which reached a significantly high value of (−)15 to (−)50% at around 450 °C in various blend materials. These thermogravimetric results indicate the presence of significant interaction and synergistic effect between biomass and plastic mixtures during their co-pyrolysis at the high temperature region. With increase in the amount of plastic mixture in blend material, the char production has diminished at final pyrolysis temperature range. Additionally, a kinetic analysis was performed to fit with TGA data, the entire pyrolysis processes being considered as one or two consecutive first order reactions.     

Computational modeling of in vitro biological responses on polymethacrylate surfaces

The objective of this research was to examine the capabilities of QSPR (Quantitative Structure Property Relationship) modeling to predict specific biological responses (fibrinogen adsorption, cell attachment and cell proliferation index) on thin films of different polymethacrylates. Using 33 commercially available monomers it is theoretically possible to construct a library of over 40,000 distinct polymer compositions. A subset of these polymers were synthesized and solvent cast surfaces were prepared in 96 well plates for the measurement of fibrinogen adsorption. NIH 3T3 cell attachment and proliferation indices were measured on spin coated thin films of these polymers. Based on the experimental results of these polymers, separate models were built for homo-, co-, and terpolymers in the library with good correlation between experiment and predicted values. The ability to predict biological responses by simple QSPR models for large numbers of polymers has important implications in designing biomaterials for specific biological or medical applications.     

Prediction of viscoelastic properties of peanut-based 3D printable food ink

Viscoelastic properties of 3D printable peanut-based food ink were investigated using frequency sweep and relaxation test. The incorporation of xanthan gum (XG) improved the shear thinning behavior (n value ranging from 0.139 to 0.261) and lowered the η*, G′, and G′′ values, thus making food ink 3D printable. The addition of XG also caused a downward shift in the relaxation curve. This study evaluates the possibility of an artificial neural network (ANN) approach as a substitute for the Maxwell three-element and Peleg model for predicting the viscoelastic behavior of food ink. The results revealed that all three models accurately predicted the decay forces. The inclusion of XG decreased the hardness and enhanced the cohesiveness, so enabling the 3D printing of food ink. The hardness was highly positively correlated with Maxwell model parameters F_e, F₁, F₂, F_3, and Peleg constant k₂ (0.57) and negatively correlated with k₁ (−0.76).