Reactivity of hydrolysed coals in liquefaction

A hvA bituminous, a subbituminous and a lignite coal have been hydrolysed by 20–30% aqueous caustic solution at 100–300 °C and total pressure from ambient to 8.3 MPa (1200 psi). Reactivity of these pretreated coals toward liquefaction has been examined. The conversion to benzene-soluble material (BS) and oil increases, and the preasphaltene and char residue decreases after pretreatment. Improvement in the conversion to the BS fraction is only marginal for the pretreated bituminous coal, but substantial for the low-rank coals. For the subbituminous coal, the liquefaction reactivity (conversion to BS) increases with the severity of hydrolysis pretreatment. Analyses of chemical compositions, ¹H n.m.r. nuclei distributions and hydroxyl concentrations of the acid-insoluble hydrolysis coal extracts indicate that both O and S are enriched in the extracts with half of the oxygen atoms being in hydroxyl forms. The hydroxyl concentrations of the extracts (acid-insoluble) are ≈2 to 3 times higher than their parent coals. Coal activation by this alkali pretreatment is explained by the hydrolytic attacks on ether C–O linkages, and the removal of some constituents rich in oxygen functional groups which are responsible for poor liquefaction behaviour.     

Comparison of newly isolated strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis for hydrogen peroxide production at 5 degrees C

Isolates of Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis obtained from raw milk samples were compared for the ability to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at 5 degrees C. Nineteen out of 101 lactobacilli isolated were identified as L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis. The isolates of L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis from most raw milk samples produced more H2O2 than did isolates of other species of lactobacilli from the same samples. Seven isolates of L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis, which produced the highest levels of H2O2 at 5 degrees C were selected for comparison with a laboratory strain, L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis I. In 24 h, isolate RM2-5 produced 7.0 microg/10(9) cfu in buffer containing 5 mM sodium lactate and 4.4 microg/10(9) cfu in buffer containing 5 mM glucose. Three other isolates also produced more H2O2 on sodium lactate than on glucose. However, three remaining new isolates produced more H2O2 on glucose than on sodium lactate. All seven of the most active new isolates of L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis produced significantly higher concentrations of H2O2 than did L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis I in both solutions. Strain RM2-5 produced more H2O2 than did the other six most active newly isolated strains of L. delbrueckii subsp. lactis in this comparison.     

向服务业务模式转型——中国企业的可持续发展之路

<正>通向差异化竞争和可持续发展的新道路面对产品同质化、利润率不断下降、消费者需求日益严苛等难题,中国制造企业重生产轻服务的模式将难以维持。2008年开始的席卷全球的金融风暴引发了一系列的实体经济危机,制造企业急需走出一条通向差异化和可持续发展的新路。     

Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy as an Alternative to Determine Dielectric Constant of Potatoes at Various Moisture Contents

The dielectric (DE) properties, specifically the DE constant (ε′) and loss factor (ε′′), were measured for vacuum‐dried and freeze‐dried potato samples at a microwave frequency of 2.45 GHz over a range of different moisture contents (MCs) using a DE probe and also a 2‐probe electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Third‐order polynomial models (ε′ = f₁(MC); and ε′′ = f₂(MC)) at room temperature were developed for regression analysis. Additionally, at various temperatures (T), biphasic 3rd‐order polynomial models (ε′ = f₁(MC, T); and ε′′ = f₂(MC, T)) were obtained to determine ε′ and ε′′ as a function of MC and T using measured data. The vacuum‐dried potato sample showed a good fitness of ε′ and ε′′ (R² = 0.95 and 0.96, respectively) to the regression model with the range of MCs from 18% to 80% (w/w), while the freeze‐dried potato sample showed a good fitness of ε′ and ε′′ to the 1st‐phase regression model with MC < 50% w/w (R² = 0.95 and 0.96, respectively) and the 2nd‐phase regression model with MC > 50% w/w (R² = 0.94 to 0.96). EIS measurements were also used to obtain correlation impedances for ε′ and ε′′ determined by the DE probe method. The resulted regression analysis meets the demands for simple, rapid, and accurate assessment for transient values of ε′ and ε′′ of food products during dehydration/drying processes. The EIS method was verified to be a successful alternative to direct measurements of ε′ and ε′′.     

The adsorption of chlordane by wheat flour from chlordane-treated shelf paper

Packaged wheat flour stored in direct contact with chlordane-treated shelf paper adsorbed with time appreciable amounts of the pesticide from the paper. Direct contact of the package with the paper was more conducive to flour contamination than it was from exposure of the flour to the vaporized pesticide components from the paper. Sorption effects of the pesticide with flour varied with the mode of exposure and the type of bag used, i.e. when the bags were in direct contact with the shelf paper, the flour packaged in polyethylene bags contained the largest amount of chlordane residue (29 ppm), which decreased about 10 per cent when packaged in single-thickness kraft paper bags and about 35 per cent in double-thickness kraft paper bags. When the bags were separated from direct contact with the shelf paper by means of open glass containers, contamination of the flour was tangibly decreased, whereby the amounts of residue found in the kraft single- and double-thickness paper bags were 0·4 and 0·3 ppm, respectively, compared to only 0·06 ppm in the polyethylene bags.     

Effect of curing moisture on the indentation force deflection of flexible polyurethane foam

The moisture effect on the indentation force deflection (IFD) of flexible polyurethane foam was examined through the curing of the foam with different moisture contents. The employed foam was cured at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% relative humidity, and the corresponding curing temperature was constant at 23°C. The experiments showed that the measured IFD and support factor of the flexible polyurethane foam decreased, and the hysteresis increased with the curing moisture. A statistical conversion formula was generated experimentally to correct the measured IFD of the flexible polyurethane foam to eliminate the deviation caused by the moisture effect. The measured IFD was inversely exponentially proportional to the curing moisture. The accuracy of the correction formula was verified by the conditioning of the foam again with different moisture contents. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 1679–1682, 2007     

Phase Transformations of α-Alumina Made from Waste Aluminum via a Precipitation Technique

We report on a recycling project in which α-Al₂O₃ was produced from aluminum cans because no such work has been reported in literature. Heated aluminum cans were mixed with 8.0 M of H₂SO₄ solution to form an Al₂(SO₄)₃ solution. The Al₂(SO₄)₃ salt was contained in a white semi-liquid solution with excess H₂SO₄; some unreacted aluminum pieces were also present. The solution was filtered and mixed with ethanol in a ratio of 2:3, to form a white solid of Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O. The Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O was calcined in an electrical furnace for 3 h at temperatures of 400–1400 °C. The heating and cooling rates were 10 °C/min. XRD was used to investigate the phase changes at different temperatures and XRF was used to determine the elemental composition in the alumina produced. A series of different alumina compositions, made by repeated dehydration and desulfonation of the Al₂(SO₄)₃·18H₂O, is reported. All transitional alumina phases produced at low temperatures were converted to α-Al₂O₃ at high temperatures. The X-ray diffraction results indicated that the α-Al₂O₃ phase was realized when the calcination temperature was at 1200 °C or higher.