An improved algorithm for the three‐fluid‐phase VLLE flash calculation

The VLLE flash is important in water and hydrocarbons mixtures, hydrocarbon and CO₂ rich mixtures, and hydrocarbon methane rich mixtures that are encountered in reservoir performance and recovery studies. A robust VLLE flash algorithm is proposed. The equilibrium and mass balance equations are solved as a constrained minimization problem. An inverse barrier function is used to handle the inequality constrains to solve for the phase fractions. It warrants always arriving to the solution. The challenging cases analyzed showed that the initialization procedure proposed, together with successive substitution iteration in the outer loop, is a good method for a stable VLLE flash algorithm, even near critical points. Whenever the result is in the region outside the three‐phase physical domain, the solution suggests that the system has fewer phases. In one of the cases analyzed, a region with three liquid phases was encountered and the algorithm found two different solutions with positive phase fractions. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 3081–3093, 2015     

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Monitoring of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allium</Emphasis> Derivative Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate Used as Natural Additive in Animal Feed

A new simple analytical method for monitoring propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) in animal feed is presented. PTSO is an active ingredient from Allium spp. (like onion and shallot), proposed as a natural additive for feed being an efficient alternative to antibiotics used as growth promoter due to its efficiency improving animal health. Reversed-phase liquid chromatography with UV detection has been used and a previous sample treatment based on solid-liquid extraction has been developed and optimized in order to extract PTSO from a feed for laying hens using acetone as extraction solvent. The method has been characterized obtaining limits of detection and quantification of 11.2 and 37.3 mg kg^?1, respectively, which are lower than the concentrations expected in samples containing this additive. The intra- and interday relative standard deviations (RSDs) were lower than 8.3 % in all the cases, and recoveries varied from 90.2 to 94.6 %. Finally, in order to check the unequivocal identification of PTSO, mass spectrometry detection was applied. The proposed method is a simple procedure for monitoring PTSO in commercial feed, being possible to implement it in routine laboratories for quantification purposes and stability studies of the distributed products.     

Synthesis,characterization, and DFT Raman study of pure and Mn-doped LiTaO3 nanofibers

Pure and Mn-doped lithium tantalate nanofibers, with Mn concentrations of 1%, 2.5%, and 5%, were synthesized by the electrospinning method. The morphology, microstructure, and crystal structure of as-spun and annealed composite nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Raman spectroscopy has shown to be a powerful tool to detect either local variations or changes of the whole structure. Position and width of one Raman line can be used as markers of a structural change. Some vibrational modes are especially associated with the site of Li or Ta ions and so, they can be affected by the introduction of dopant ions. Any damages or local changes in the microstructure can be detected by a line broadening. With the use of Raman spectroscopy, the sites where Mn ions enter the doped structures were established by recording the shift and broadening of peaks in Mn-doped structures with respect to pure lithium tantalate. Thus it was proven that Mn ions enter the Li sites for low Mn concentration and, on the other hand, for higher concentrations, the dopant substitutes Li and Ta sites. First-principles calculations were performed within the density functional theory, including lattice-dynamic calculations of the phonon modes at the zone center (Γ point), for the pure structure, to find the irreducible representation of the modes.     

Ionic liquid recovery alternatives in ionic liquid‐based three‐phase partitioning (ILTPP)

Ionic liquid‐based three‐phase partitioning (ILTPP) is a promising technique to recover high‐added value proteins at the liquid–liquid interface. Its economic and environmental performance highly depends on the net ionic liquid consumption. Alternatives to maximize the fraction of ionic liquid that can be recycled are studied. It is demonstrated that the addition of extra salt, previously proposed in literature, has a very limited effect on ionic liquid recovery for relatively high protein concentrations in the feed stream, and that it may even lead to an increase of the ionic liquid losses under certain conditions. However, small additions of salt are shown to be effective and profitable from an economic point of view. Vacuum evaporation is shown to allow for the complete ionic liquid and salt recovery, reinforcing the sustainability and viability of ILTPP processes. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 3577–3586, 2014     

Maximum power point tracker based on maximum power point resistance modeling

This paper presents a new, simple, accurate, and inexpensive practical methodology and experimental solution for the modeling of conventional (domestic and commercial facilities) photovoltaic generators (PVG), so that they can work at their maximum power point (MPP). The PVG may be a panel, an array of panels, or a photovoltaic field. As a starting restriction (actual) it has to be assumed that it is not possible to isolate the PVG variables dependence (mainly current, voltage, and hence power) with solar radiation and temperature, because they are highly correlated. This methodology proposes the modeling facility on its MPP by its MPP resistance (R_MPP = V_MPP/I_MPP), being V_MPP and I_MPP the voltage and current of the PVG, respectively, at its MPP. The analysis shows, by simulation first and then experimentally, that R_MPP does not present significant temperature dependencies, at least in the usual range. This important result allows us to model the PVG only in terms of solar radiation. From a set of experimental data, different models to estimate R_MPP are proposed. The obtained results are very accurate. These models allow an immediate practical application that it is also developed in the paper: MPP tracker (MPPT) design by the calculation of the DC/DC converter duty cycle which places the PVG at its MPP directly and continuously. This new methodology and experimental system has been registered in the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office with the number P201530352. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short-run statistical process control: Q-Chart enhancements and alternative methods

The first two tables in Reference 1 are incorrect. Corrected tables are provided below. The errors do not affect the conclusions or the discussion in that paper.     

Formation of pesticide nonextractable (bound) residues in soil: magnitude, controlling factors and reversibility

The analysis of the coherent data on nonextractable (bound) residues (NER) from the literature and EU pesticide registration dossiers allows the identification of general trends, in spite of the large variability and heterogeneity of data. About 50% of the pesticides reviewed exhibit a low proportion of NER (less than 30% of the initial amount) while only 12% of pesticides have a proportion of NER exceeding 70%. The lowest proportion of NER was found for dinitroanilines (<20%), and the largest value was obtained for carbamates, and in particular dithiocarbamates. The presence of chemical reactive groups, such as aniline or phenol, tends to yield a larger proportion of NER. NER originating from N-heteroatomic ring were found to be lower than those from phenyl-ring structures. Among the environmental factors affecting the formation of NER, microbial activity has a direct and significant effect. Concerning the NER uptake or their bioavailability, consistent data suggest that only a small percentage of the total amounts of NER can be released. The analysis of NER formation kinetics showed that incubation experiments are often stopped too early to allow a correct evaluation of the NER maturation phase. Therefore, there is a need for longer term experiments to evaluate the tail of the NER formation kinetics. Still, the heterogeneity of the NER data between pesticides and for specific pesticides calls for great care in the interpretation of the data and their generalization.     

Phage types, virulence genes and PFGE profiles of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 isolated from raw beef, soft cheese and vegetables in Lima (Peru)

The present study was conducted in Lima Metropolitana to evaluate the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 in raw beef, raw ground beef, soft cheese and fresh vegetables, sampled at different markets in the city. Between October 2000 and February 2001, 407 food samples were collected from different markets in the 42 districts of Lima Metropolitana. Samples were assayed for E. coli O157 by selective enrichment in modified Tryptic Soy Broth containing novobiocin, followed by immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and plating onto sorbitol MacConkey agar supplemented with cefixime and potassium tellurite. Fifty (12.3%) of 407 food samples resulted positive for E. coli O157 isolation (23 of 102 ground beef; 15 of 102 beef meat; eight of 102 soft cheese and four of 101 fresh vegetables). Thirty-five E. coli O157 isolates were further analysed for the presence of virulence genes. All 35 were positive by PCR for O157 rfbE, fliCh7, eae-gamma1 and ehxA genes. In addition, genes encoding Shiga toxins were detected in 33 of 35 isolates, five isolates (14%) encoded stx(1), stx(2), and 28 (80%) stx2 only. The isolates were of seven different phage types (PT4, PT8, PT14, PT21, PT34, PT54, and PT87) with three phage types accounting for 80% of isolates: PT4 (15 isolates), PT14 (8 isolates), and PT21 (5 isolates). Interestingly, the majority (31 of 35; 89%) of E. coli O157:H7 isolates characterized in this study belonged mainly to the phage types previously found in STEC O157:H7 strains associated with severe human disease in Europe and Canada. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of 32 isolates revealed 14 XbaI-PFGE groups (I to XIV) of similarity >85%, with 23 (72%) isolates grouped in five clusters. Some isolates from different districts presented a high clonal relatedness. Thus, PFGE group VIII clustered eleven strains from nine different districts. The broad range of PFGE subtypes found in this study demonstrates the natural occurrence of many genetic variants among STEC O157:H7 spread in Lima.