Separation of propylene and propane with a microporous metal–organic framework via equilibrium-kinetic synergetic effect

Adsorption separation of olefin and paraffin can greatly lower the energy consumption associated with the currently utilized distillation technique but remains a great challenge. Herein, we report the efficient separation of propylene (C₃H₆) and propane (C₃H₈) in a phosphate anion-functionalized metal–organic framework (MOF) ZnAtzPO₄ by synergetic effect of equilibrium and kinetics. The material features periodically expanded and contracted apertures decorated with electronegative groups, offering eligible pore shape and pore chemistry to effectively trap C₃H₆ under moderate isosteric heat of adsorption (27.5 kJ mol⁻¹) while obstruct the diffusion of C₃H₈. It simultaneously combines excellent thermodynamic selectivity (uptake ratio of 1.71) and kinetic selectivity (~31) for C₃H₆/C₃H₈ separation, meanwhile can be easily regenerated. Breakthrough experiment for C₃H₆/C₃H₈ gas mixture was conducted and confirmed the outstanding separation capability of ZnAtzPO₄. The equilibrium and kinetics cooperative C₃H₆/C₃H₈ adsorption separation was for the first time found in anion-functionalized MOFs, and further confirmed by computational studies.     

Enhancing oil–solid and oil–water separation in heavy oil recovery by CO2-responsive surfactants

Interfacial properties are of critical importance to various separation applications. In heavy oil recovery, for example, a low oil–water interfacial tension (IFT) benefits the separation of heavy oil from their host rocks, which becomes problematic in the later stage of oil–water separation. CO₂-responsive surfactants were investigated to enhance the overall heavy oil recovery by switching their interfacial activity to the desired state in each stage. The surfactants at interfacially active state greatly enhanced the separation of heavy oil from hosting solids, as demonstrated by measuring contact angle and oil liberation using a custom-designed on-line visualization system. Meanwhile, the resulting heavy oil-in-water emulsions could also be easily demulsified by the bubbling of CO₂ gas, which switched off the interfacial activity of the surfactants. Furthermore, CO₂-responsive surfactants could be partially recycled in process water to improve sustainability, making CO₂-responsive surfactants to be promising chemical aids in heavy oil production and many other vital industries.     

High efficient separation of olefin from fluid catalytic cracking naphtha: Separation mechanism and universal simulation method

The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) naphtha critical component-oriented separation process is an efficient method to produce ultra-low-sulfur (<10 μg/g) gasoline with minimal loss of octane number (<1 RON). However, the product quality is highly dependent on the structure of the components of FCC naphtha. Aromatics and thiophene sulfides without a methyl side chain favor the separation of olefin. The major impulse of olefin separation is the solvent-induced dipole of aromatics or thiophene sulfides, leading to a “Plane-to-Plane” combination between the solvent and aromatics or thiophene sulfides, accompanied by a steric hindrance due to their side chains. This condition resulted in 2–3 times greater θ of benzene and thiophene compared with that of toluene and 3-methylthiophene. In addition, an improved non-random two-liquid model was proposed based on the above results, and a simulation method for FCC naphtha solvent extraction process was established. The calculation results accorded well with industry data.     

Turbulence damping above the cloud height in suspensions of concentrated slurries in stirred tanks

Poor mixing in the clear liquid layer above the cloud height has been reported by several authors. This study uses LDV measurements to quantify turbulence above the cloud using a liquid level of 1.5 T to remove the barrier of a free surface at H = T. A D = T/3, down-pumping PBT was used at an off-bottom clearance of C = T/3. Three slurries were tested at impeller speeds 0.8, 1, and 1.2N_js. The change in turbulence was quantified using the normalized root mean square (RMS) of the fluctuating velocity summed and averaged over each radial traverse. A significant difference between the fluctuating values of the cloud height—minimum, average, and maximum—was observed. The turbulence decays until the maximum cloud height. Beyond that, it remains constant and near zero. The effects of both particle size and solids concentration prove to be important.     

Study of filtered interphase heat transfer using highly resolved CFD–DEM simulations

Accurately predicting the complex inhomogeneous heat transfer behavior in gas–solid fluidized beds is of fundamental importance. In this work, we constitute an enhanced filtered interphase heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) closure by systematically filtering the dataset from highly resolved three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics–discrete element model simulations. Particularly, effects of several potential filtered variable markers on filtered IHTC predictions are examined by statistical analysis. We reveal the formulated filtered IHTC correction closure manifests a systematic dependence on filtered interphase temperature difference as an additional marker. The proposed closure shows good agreement with the filtered fine-grid simulation data in an a priori analysis. Moreover, the difference of filtered IHTC corrections deduced from 3D Euler–Euler and Euler–Lagrange simulations is quantified. Finally, the comparative analysis between our proposed filtered IHTC formulation and those in literature is implemented. This work holds a potential to facilitate the development of thermal gas–solid flow modeling.     

Application of thermal ultrasound-assisted liquid–liquid micro-extraction coupled with HPLC-UV for rapid determination of synthetic phenolic antioxidants in edible oils

A simple, fast, and reliable liquid–liquid micro-extraction (LLME) method assisted by thermal ultrasound approach was developed for simultaneous determination of synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) in edible oils by high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV). The synthetic antioxidants were propyl gallate (PG), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), and butylated hydroxyltoluene (BHT). The best extraction conditions were observed were methanol/acetonitrile (1:1, v/v) as the solvent, ultrasound at 4 min, and a temperature of 40°C. The linearity of the calibration curves for the optimum conditions were R² > 0.989 for all of the SPAs in a range from 1–200 μg ml⁻¹. Relative standard deviation (RSD %) for five analysis was in range of 2.83% to 4.21%. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were obtained in range of 0.012–0.06 and 0.04–0.2 μg g⁻¹, respectively. With regard to recovery, a range of 91%–116% was calculated for the spiked edible oils.     

A gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method for the detection of chlorpyrifos contamination in palm-based fatty acids

Chlorpyrifos is a Malaysian Pesticide Board-approved organophosphate insecticide, which may become concentrated during fractionation. The objective of this project was to develop and validate a method to detect and quantify chlorpyrifos in food-grade fatty acids ingredients, e.g. caprylic-capric acid mixture and oleic acid (OLA) used to synthesize triacylglyceride based food additives and in the cosmetic industry. A selective ion monitoring gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method with a matrix-matched calibration curve calibration was selected. The method involved the direct injection of chlorpyrifos spiked into the fatty acids matrix. The percentage recoveries at spiking levels of 0.5, 0.75, 2.5, and 4.0 μg g⁻¹ of chlorpyrifos in OLA and caprylic-capric acid ranged from 85.7%–101.1% to 97.2%–112%, respectively, with a relative standard deviation of within 11%. The intra-day and inter-day precision were deemed acceptable as indicated by an relative SD value of within 10%. A good linear relationship with a coefficient of correlation >0.99 for the matrix-matched calibration was achieved between 0.5 and 5 μg g⁻¹. The limit of detection and limit of quantification corresponded to 0.5 μg g⁻¹ for OLA and 0.55 μg g⁻¹ for caprylic-capric acid.     

Study on performance characteristics of fused deposition modeling 3D-printed composites by blending and lamination

Component contacting degree in a composite material is an important reference for evaluation the performance characteristics. In this article, two composite material systems involving polylactic acid (PLA) with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and PLA with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were prepared by blending and laminating through fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology. The mechanical and thermal properties of the as-prepared composite materials were examined. The results indicated that PLA and TPU played a dominant role in tensile strength and breaking elongation, respectively, in individual composite material. ABS and TPU changed the glass transition peek, crystallinity, and modulus of PLA. The results also suggested that although the processing design of the blending method was more suitable for the contact between two components, but the mechanical properties of laminated composites were closer to theoretical predictions. The structural design and processing technology provide a comparative method and reference basis for studying the performance characteristics of composite materials.     

Importance of Mullins effect in commercial silicone elastomer formulations for soft robotics

Silicone elastomers are used in a wide range of applications, including artificial muscles, biomedical devices, and soft robotics, for which chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability are important requirements that these elastomers must fulfill. However, to ensure that silicone elastomers' properties and performance remain constant under long-term deployment, it is necessary to examine and account for the Mullins effect, which has the potential to significantly alter certain elastomer properties of interest. In this article, the mechanical properties of soft and hard commercial silicone elastomers and two blends of commercial silicone elastomers are investigated—specifically their softening behavior due to the Mullins effect. Ultimate stresses, ultimate strains, and Young's moduli are obtained from uniaxial tensile tests. Results show that the point of softening greatly depends on both the elastomer type and its strain history. Furthermore, a significant permanent set is observed in the softest commercial formulations.