Pyrolytic characteristics of Jatropha seedshell cake in thermobalance and fluidized bed reactors

Pyrolytic kinetic parameters of Jatropha seedshell cake (JSC) were determined based on reaction mechanism approach under isothermal condition in a thermobalance reactor. Avrami-Erofeev reaction model represents the pyrolysis conversion of JSC waste well with activation energy of 36.4 kJ mol^?1 and frequency factor of 9.18 s^?1. The effects of reaction temperature, gas flow rate and feedstock particle size on the products distribution have been determined in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. Pyrolytic bio-oil yield increases up to 42 wt% at 500 °C with the mean particle size of 1.7 mm and gas flow rate higher than 3U _mf , where the maximum heating value of bio-oil was obtained. The pyrolytic bio-oil is characterized by more oxygen, lower HHVs, less sulfur and more nitrogen than petroleum fuel oils. The pyrolytic oil showed plateaus around 360 °C in distribution of components’ boiling point due to high yields of fatty acid and glycerides.     

Effect of cysteamine layer on the interaction between gold and ZrO 2 surfaces

The formation of cysteamine layer on gold surfaces may have an effect on the distribution of either gold particle adsorbed to the ZrO₂ surface or vice versa with the adjustment of the electrostatic interactions. The atomic force microscope (AFM) was used to measure the surface forces between the zirconia surface and the cysteamine surface s as a function of the salt concentration and pH value. With the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory, the forces were quantitatively analyzed to acquire the surface potential and charge density of the surfaces for each salt concentration and each pH value. The surface potential and charge density dependence on the salt concentration was described with the law of mass action, and the pH dependence was explained with the ionizable groups on the surface.     

Anti-inflammatory effects of silkworm hemolymph on lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages

Macrophages participate in several inflammatory pathologies such as sepsis and arthritis. We investigated the effect of silkworm hemolymph (SH) on the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory macrophages. SH inhibits LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.7 cells and murine peritoneal macrophages. The decreased NO was reflected as a decreased amount of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA and protein. It was also found that SH inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α production. To elucidate the mechanism by which SH inhibits NO production and iNOS expression, we investigated that SH suppressed IκB phosphorylation, which leads to the activation of NF-κB followed by degradation of IκB. This observation suggests that SH is a potential therapeutic modulator for inflammation-associated disorders.     

Selective hydrogenation of 4-isobutylacetophenone over a sodium-promoted Pd/C catalyst

The effect of sodium promotion on the selective hydrogenation of 4-isobutylacetophenone, 4-IBAP, was investigated over a Pd/C catalyst. A precipitation and deposition method was used to prepare the catalyst, and sodium was promoted on the Pd/C catalyst via post-impregnation while varying the sodium content. The sodium-promoted Pd/C catalyst resulted in a significantly improved yield greater than 96% of the desired product, 1-(4-isobutylphenyl) ethanol (4-IBPE), compared with the non-patented literature results under a mild hydrogenation condition. A detailed hydrogenation network over the Pd/C catalyst was suggested. The reaction mechanism for the yield and selectivity enhancement of 4-IBPE induced-by the promoted Pd/C was elucidated in relation to the geometric and electronic effects of reactant molecules in the microporous support depending on the reaction steps.     

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on electrospun poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) nanofibers

Poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning method and used as polymer electrolytes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity of electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers with different diameters changed significantly, regardless of the nanofiber thickness. The PVDF-HFP nanofibers prepared from a 15 wt% spinning solution showed high ionic conductivity (1.295 S/cm) and electrolyte uptake (947 %). DSSCs based on the 15 wt% PVDF-HFP nanofiber electrolyte showed an electron transit time of 6.34 × 10^?3 s, electronic recombination time of 5.88 × 10^?2 s, and conversion efficiency of 3.13 %. Thus, we concluded that the electrospun PVDF-HFP nanofibers can be used as polymer electrolytes in flexible DSSCs as well.     

Expression characteristics of the maeA and maeB genes by extracellular malate and pyruvate in Escherichia coli

The malate-pyruvate conversion pathway is catalyzed by two malic enzyme isomers, MaeA and MaeB. qRT-PCR was carried out under malate and pyruvate supplemented conditions to understand the dynamics of maeA and maeB gene expression. maeA expression was elevated by malate, and maeB expression was inhibited by levels of both malate and pyruvate higher than 0.1 mM. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter plasmids were also constructed by integration of the maeA/maeB promoter with the gfp gene. We showed that maeA driven GFP expression was positively and negatively correlated with extracellular malate and pyruvate induction. In contrast, no significant changes in maeB driven GFP expression were observed under both malate and pyruvate supplemented conditions.     

Manipulating the microstructure and rheology in polymer‐organoclay composites

A series of nanocomposites prepared by melt‐blending of cloisite‐based organoclays with poly(ethylene‐vinylacetate) (EVA) and neutralized poly (ethylene‐methacrylic acid) (EMA) copolymers were investigated via DSC, small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS), and rheological techniques. SAXS results indicated partial clay exfoliation in all samples. In both EMA and EVA systems, the nominal melting temperature T_m and bulk crystallinity are not significantly affected by the presence of organoclays, suggesting that clay particles are predominantly confined in the amorphous phase. In rheological measurements (above T_m), the EVA‐clay system demonstrated a solid‐like rheological behavior under the small‐strain oscillatory shear, yet it was able to yield and flow under a steady shear, which is the characteristic of physical crosslinking. In contrast, the EMA‐clay system exhibited a melt‐like rheological behavior, where the influence of organoclay on the thermorheological behavior of the EMA composite was quite minimal. We propose that the carbonyl groups of vinylacetate in EVA interact with the clay surface, resulting in a strong physically crosslinking like interaction in the melt. On the other hand, the interaction between EMA and clay is weak because of repulsion between carboxyl anions and negatively charged clay surface.     

Optimal reaction conditions for the minimization of energy consumption and by‐product formation in a poly(ethylene terephthalate) process

We determined the optimal reaction conditions to minimize the energy cost and the quantities of by‐products for a poly(ethylene terephthalate) process by using the iterative dynamic programming (IDP) algorithm. Here, we employed a sequence of three reactor models: the semibatch transesterification reactor model, the semibatch prepolymerization reactor model, and the rotating‐disc‐type polycondensation reactor model. We selectively chose or developed the reactor models by incorporating experimentally verified kinetic models reported in the literature. We established the model for the entire reactor system by connecting the three reactor models in series and by resolving some joint problems arising when different types of reactor models were interconnected. On the basis of the simulation results of the reactor system, we scrutinized the cause and effect between the reaction conditions and the final quality of the polymer product. Here, we set up the optimization strategy by using IDP on the basis of the integrated reactor model, and the process variables with significant influence on the properties of polymer were selected as control variables with the help of a simulation study. With this method, we could refine the reaction conditions at the end of each iteration step by contracting the spectra of control regions, and the iteration process finally stopped when the profile of the optimal trajectory converged. We also took the constraints on the control variables into account to guarantee polymer quality and to suppress side reactions. Constituting six different strategies by setting weighting vectors differently, we examined the differences in optimal trajectories, the trend of optimality, and the quality of the final polymer product. For each of the strategies, we conducted the optimization to examine whether the number‐average degree of polymerization approached the desired value. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 993–1008, 2002     

Characteristics of electrical responsive chitosan/polyallylamine interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel

An interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel composed of chitosan and polyallylamine exhibited electric‐sensitive behavior. The chitosan/polyallylamine IPN hydrogel was synthesized by radical polymerization using 2,2‐dimethoxy‐2‐phenylacetophenone (DMPAP) and methylene bisacrylicamide (MBAAm) as initiator and crosslinker, respectively. The swelling behavior of the IPN was studied by immersion of the gel samples in aqueous NaCl solutions at various concentrations and pHs. The swelling ratio decreased with increasing concentration and pH of electrolyte solution. The stimuli response of the IPN hydrogel in electric fields was also investigated. When a swollen the IPN was placed between a pair of electrodes, the IPN exhibited bending behavior in response to the applied electric field. The IPN also showed stepwise bending behavior depending on the electric stimulus. In addition, thermal properties of the IPN were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dielectric analysis (DEA). © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2290–2295, 2002