Alkali catalyzed liquefaction of corncob in supercritical ethanol–water

Corncob liquefaction in supercritical ethanol–water was performed with and without the addition of an alkali catalyst by direct addition or biomass impregnation in a 250-cm³ batch reactor. The effects of temperature, solvent and alkali addition on the biomass conversion level and oil yield were investigated to find the optimum condition. For non-catalytic liquefaction using a 1:1 (v/v) ethanol: water ratio, a maximum oil yield and conversion level of 49.0% and 93.4%, respectively, were obtained at 340 °C. For alkali catalytic liquefaction, the oil yield with KOH addition (57.5%) was higher than that from KOH-impregnated corncob liquefaction (43.3%). The oil from liquefaction with KOH addition had higher heating value (26.7–35.3 MJ kg⁻¹) than the corncob (19.1 MJ kg⁻¹). The dominant components of the obtained oil were found by GC/MS analysis to be aldehyde, ester, phenol derivatives and aromatic compounds.     

Polymers dynamics of the nonfluoro,nano-brush repelling agent with self-stratifying property in water-based coatings

While perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), also known as C8s, are used extensively in textile repellent coatings, concerns have arisen for their carcinogenicity and hazardous effects on the environment. In this study, a novel water-based, nonfluoro, and nanobrush textile repelling agent was prepared by conventional sol–gel chemistry using amorphous fumed silica and n-octyltriethoxysilane as the starting materials. Minimal interaction between the designed repelling agent and marketed water-based resins was confirmed using linear viscosity region (LVR) analysis and asymmetric-flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), suggesting the self-stratification potential of the repelling agent. More specifically, the repelling agent exhibited excellent compatibility and self-stratifying ability with a force-emulsified acrylic-based resin, affording a water contact angle of 104.3° when incorporated at 7% solid content. Performance tests carried out on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) revealed excellent adhesion (100/100) of a final formulation, and a significant increase in water contact angle from 80.1° to 103.8° after treatment. In addition, the fouling area after the removal of a submerged sample from a mixture of slurry, polymer, and oil decreased from 48 to 1% when the repelling agent was added. Moreover, the sludge-fouling property remained unchanged after 1000 cycles of abrasion. These findings demonstrate the potential of the described nonfluoro, nanobrush repelling agent as an environmentally safe alternative for use with commercial resins, in turn realizing a fully water-based hydrophobic coating. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48003.     

Real-time organic aerosol chemical speciation in the indoor environment using extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

Understanding the sources and composition of organic aerosol (OA) in indoor environments requires rapid measurements, since many emissions and processes have short timescales. However, real-time molecular-level OA measurements have not been reported indoors. Here, we present quantitative measurements, at a time resolution of five seconds, of molecular ions corresponding to diverse aerosol-phase species, by applying extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS) to indoor air analysis for the first time, as part of the highly instrumented HOMEChem field study. We demonstrate how the complex spectra of EESI-MS are screened in order to extract chemical information and investigate the possibility of interference from gas-phase semivolatile species. During experiments that simulated the Thanksgiving US holiday meal preparation, EESI-MS quantified multiple species, including fatty acids, carbohydrates, siloxanes, and phthalates. Intercomparisons with Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer suggest that EESI-MS quantified a large fraction of OA. Comparisons with FIGAERO-CIMS shows similar signal levels and good correlation, with a range of 100 for the relative sensitivities. Comparisons with SV-TAG for phthalates and with SV-TAG and AMS for total siloxanes also show strong correlation. EESI-MS observations can be used with gas-phase measurements to identify co-emitted gas- and aerosol-phase species, and this is demonstrated using complementary gas-phase PTR-MS observations.     

Broadband bowtie belt nanoantennas

In this article, we study a linear array of bowtie nanoantennas placed between two metallic strips that can work from 800 to 1420 nm (600 nm linewidth), with an electric field enhancement factor close to 20. We study the dynamical change of the position of the electric field enhancement amongst different elements in the array and, at the same time, the effects of dispersion on the scalability of the array elements. A systematic analysis and methodology to produce an array that can operate over a large bandwidth whilst maintaining the electric field enhancement without significant variation is provided.     

Comparative analysis on performance of vertical drain improved clay deposit under vacuum or surcharge loading

This paper presents two well-instrumented large-scale field tests of PVD-improved soft soil with vacuum and surcharge preloading, respectively. The two large-scale field tests were conducted adjacent to each other with the same preload. A comparative analysis was performed to investigate the performance of subsoil (i.e., the ground settlement, the layered settlement, the lateral displacement of subsoil and pore water pressure) under vacuum preloading and equivalent surcharge preloading. Some design methods were verified based on the field data. Cone Penetration Tests (CPT) and Vane Shear Tests (VST) were conducted to assess the improvement effects on subsoil after preloading. The results showed that as compared with surcharge preloading, vacuum preloading mitigated the differential settlement of the ground. The vacuum pressure transmitted into the soil with a minor loss through the PVD length. From a practical point of view, the improvement effects by vacuum preloading and surcharge preloading were similar in terms of influence depth and soil strength based on the in-situ tests.     

葛洲坝水利枢纽泄水建筑物进水口冲磨与修复

葛洲坝水利枢纽工程已运行20余年，近年水下检查中发现泄水建筑物进水口存在不同程度的冲磨，有些已威胁到建筑物安全运行，分析冲磨原因和探讨修复材料和手段是非常重要的，本文就此问题提出一些看法和建议供参考。     

宁夏宁东供水工程主机设备形式参数选择与国际招标

宁东供水工程供水水泵共有卧式和立式离心泵2种方案可供选择,也是工程论证时争论的焦点,经综合比较及主机设备的国际招标,最终确定了奥地利安德里兹公司的卧式双吸中开式离心泵为宁东供水工程的供水水泵。     

恢复邢台百泉泉水流量可行性研究

通过百泉泉区天然状态与超采状态下的水环境对比分析,并对岩溶水补给量和开采量进行计算,阐述恢复邢台百泉泉水流量的可行性,随着“引朱济邢”和“南水北调”供水工程的实施,邢台百泉水生态环境的恢复将变为现实。     

不同管距时玉米渗灌效果的试验研究

在运城市夹马口灌区和红旗灌区进行了1996,1997两个年度的玉米渗灌试验,研究了不同毛管间距条件下渗灌对其产量及水分生产率等的影响。结果表明,玉米渗灌毛管间距采用0.8~1.0 m较为适宜。毛管间距愈大,产量愈低;渗灌较地面灌平均减产7.23%,较旱地平均增产30.8%;玉米生长期内总耗水量地面灌最大,渗灌次之,旱地最小。渗灌可明显提高玉米水分生产率,渗灌处理水分生产率平均为1.65 kg/m3,是地面灌的1.2倍,是旱地的1.33倍;两年度渗灌较地面灌平均节水44.4%。     

曲沃县水资源开发利用现状及对策

文中对曲沃县水资源开发利用现状进行了认真分析，并从思想观念、管理体制、管理模式上提出了问题，为解决问题提出了相应对策。