Incorporation of Mass and Energy Integration in the Optimal Bioethanol Separation Process

A techno‐economic analysis for the separation process in bioethanol production is presented. Optimized azeotropic separation processes in conjunction with process integration (mass and energy) are considered to simultaneously enhance the results from economic and environmental points of view. Process integration improves significantly the separation process because it helps to reduce the overall energy required in the reboilers based on energy integration and additionally to diminish the amount of required solvent based on mass integration. The SYNHEAT optimization model was applied for energy integration whereas a direct recycle strategy was implemented for the mass integration process. The best separation processes obtained correspond to an integrated conventional separation sequence with energy integration to ethanol‐water mixture III and integrated optional separation sequences with energy integration to ethanol‐water mixture III, with significant savings in utility costs and possible recycling of nearly all solvent.     

Stabilized Conversion Efficiency and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells from Beta vulgaris Pigment

Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs), based on TiO₂ and assembled using a dye from Beta vulgaris extract (BVE) with Tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), are reported. The dye BVE/TEOS increased its UV resistance, rendering an increase in the cell lifetime; the performance of these solar cells was compared to those prepared with BVE without TEOS. The efficiency η for the solar energy conversion was, for BVE and BVE/TEOS, of 0.89% ± 0.006% and 0.68% ± 0.006% with a current density Jsc of 2.71 ± 0.003 mA/cm² and 2.08 ± 0.003 mA/cm², respectively, using in both cases an irradiation of 100 mW/cm² at 25 °C. The efficiency of the BVE solar cell dropped from 0.9 ± 0.006 to 0.85 ± 0.006 after 72 h of operation, whereas for the BVE/TEOS, the efficiency remained practically constant in the same period of time.     

Improvement of catalytic efficiency of chloroperoxidase by its covalent immobilization on SBA-15 for azo dye oxidation

Chloroperoxidase from the fungus Caldariomyces fumago was covalently immobilized on SBA-15 mesoporous material and assayed for the enzymatic oxidation of four azo dyes. All dyes were oxidized by the free and the immobilized enzyme to different extent. Acid Blue 120 and Direct Blue 85 dyes were decolorized almost completely. The catalytic efficiency, k _cat/K _M, of the immobilized enzyme was 27, 2.9, 137 and 28 times higher than the free enzyme for Basic Blue 41, Disperse Blue 85, Acid Blue 120 and Direct Black 22 oxidation, respectively. The immobilized enzyme displayed improved thermostability and a similar pH profile compared to the free enzyme. The immobilized chloroperoxidase showed excellent storage stability and maintained 100 % catalytic activity after 90 days at both 4 and 25 °C.     

Electrochemical oxidation of methyl orange azo dye at pilot flow plant using BDD technology

Solutions of methyl orange azo dye were degraded by electrochemical oxidation using a 3 L flow plant with a boron-doped diamond (BDD)/stainless steel cell operating at constant current density, ambient temperature and liquid flow rate of 12 L min^?1. A 2³ factorial design considering the applied current density, azo dye concentration and electrolysis time as variable independents was used to analyze the process by response surface methodology. LC–MS analysis revealed the formation of seven oxidation products from the cleavage of the NN group of the dye, followed by deamination, formation of a nitro group and/or desulfonation of the resulting aromatics.     

Production of Methyl Oleate in Reactive‐Separation Systems

The esterification of oleic acid and methanol using sulfuric acid as a homogeneous catalyst is studied in reactive‐separation systems. The conversion of the free fatty acid was investigated in two different experiments with the molar ratio of methanol/oleic acid, amount of catalyst, temperature, and reaction time as variables. The conversion of the free fatty acid was found to depend strongly on the molar ratio of methanol/oleic acid. The reaction time had a direct effect on the conversion of the free fatty acid, and this conversion decreased with higher temperature. These results were valuable for a preliminary study on biodiesel production, using an acid homogeneous catalyst in a reactive dividing‐wall distillation column.     

Steric and electronic effects on mesophase stability of segmented liquid crystalline polymers with arylazomethine pendant groups

Summary The kinetics of DL-lactide polymerization was studied in CH₂Cl₂ at 25°C and in toluene at 70°C with HAPENAlOMe, a new Schiff's base complex derived from 2-hydroxyacetophenone and ethylenediamine. A higher polymerization rate is observed with this initiator as compared to other previously reported Al-alkoxides complexes. The polymerization with HAPENAlOMe is also shown to be a living process in both solvents. Moreover, the polymerization proceeds to quite high conversion without significant occurrence of transesterification reactions as confirmed from ¹³C NMR and SEC analysis. Received: 4 October 1999/Accepted: 6 December 1999     

Nafcillin release from poly(acrylic acid–co–methyl methacrylate) hydrogels

Summary Copolymeric poly(acrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) hydrogels for three different compositions: (90/10), (80/20) and (60/40), have been studied. Drug release has been examined as a function of the hydrogel composition by HPLC (High Pressure Liquid Cromatography). The release experiments were carried out at 37 °C. The fraction of available drug release was linear in t^1/2. The values of the diffusional coefficient (0.50<n<1.0) indicate that the nafcillin release mechanism from the hydrogels in study is non-Fickian. The diffusion coefficients for this drug release have been calculated. The molecular diffusion of nafcillin through hydrogels is controlled by the swelling.