Agricola und die Geologie

This paper on the occasion of the 500th birthday of the great Saxon humanistic scholar Georgius Agricola deals with his contributions to geology in the narrow sense. These, contrary to his voluminous works on mining, metallurgy and mineralogy (De re metallica and De natura fossilium, resp.) are parts of the booksDe ortu et causis subterraneorum andDe natura eorum, quae effluunt ex terra. In those we find statements on the causes of earthquakes, on volcanos and the subterranean fire as well as the effects of the running water in mountain-building. Agricola's ideas on geological time and his statements on dynamics of the Earth's crust are remarkable.     

Näherungsweise Berechnung der durch Temperaturschichtung hervorgerufenen Axialspannungen in einem Rohr

Zusammenfassung Eine einfache Formel zur n?herungsweisen Berechnung der Axialspannungen eines Rohres infolge der von einer Temperaturschichtung im Rohrinnern hervorgerufenen Temperaturfelder wird vorgestellt. Die Formel basiert auf der konventionellen Balkentheorie. Durch Vergleiche der von der N?herungsformel gelieferten Axialspannungen mit den Axialspannungen, die mit Hilfe von Finite-Elemente-Rechnungen erhalten werden, wird gezeigt, da? die N?herungsformel die maximalen Axialspannungen ausreichend genau wiedergibt.     

Mikrostrukturuntersuchungen an porösen Feststoffen durch Physisorptionsmessungen

Studies of the microstructure of porous solids by physisorption measurements . The principal experimental methods for studying the microstructure of porous solids are based on physisorption measurements. The resulting sorption isotherms can yield data such as surface area and pore radius distribution, which are of great importance for development and characterization of porous catalysts. After a brief presentation of available measuring equipment, the main concern of this survey is the evaluation of sorption isotherms. In particular, methods for determining the micropore contribution to the total pore volume and the pore radius distribution in the micropore range are examined critically with regard to their reliability.     

Evaluation of UF and RO in a cellulose saccharification process

The applications of membrane separation within the bioconversion of lignocellulosic materials to ethanol are studied, and this paper reports on cellulolytic enzyme recovery, and reduction of the product inhibition. The conversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to hexoses and pentoses is carried out in a laboratory scale UF-membrane reactor, and the sugars, which have an inhibiting effect on the enzymes, are continuously removed with the permeate. By optimizing the space velocity, the enzyme inhibition is minimized and the rate of hydrolysis is significantly increased.The recovery of the enzymes has also been investigated with regard to their mechanical stability and adsorption on the substrate. Prior to enzymatic hydrolysis, the raw material is subjected to a pretreatment to make the cellulose more accessible to the enzymes, and the effect of the pretreatment can easily be evaluated in the UF-membrane reactor.As a result of the continuous removal of products formed in the hydrolysis, the permeate has a low content of fermentable sugars, and to give the optimal conditions for the fermentation a concentration step is needed. Different RO-membranes are tested in a laboratory scale batch cell to be able to choose a membrane material, fit for filtration in larger modules.     

Reaction of cholesterol 5,6-epoxides with simulated gastric juice

Cholesterol 5α,6α-epoxide (α-epoxide) and cholesterol 5β,6β-epoxide (β-epoxide) were individually suspended in simulated gastric juice (pH 1.2) at 37 C, and their reaction was followed by gradient high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with flame ionization (FID) detection. Both epoxides reacted rapidly in the aqueous acid medium. The α-epoxide formed 6β-chlorocholestane-3β,5α-diol (α-chlorohydrin) and 5α-cholestane-3β,5,6β-triol (triol), while the β-epoxide formed 5α-chlorocholestane-3β,6β-diol (β-chlorohydrin) and triol. The isomeric chlorohydrins reacted further to form the triol. In mildly alkaline aqueous medium, each chlorohydrin reverted to the epoxide from which it was formed. The data suggest that both epoxides, which have been reported to have adverse health effects in animals, would be largely hydrolyzed in the stomach and to the triol, which also has been reported to have biological activity. The data furher suggest that residual chlorohydrins surviving stomach residence can be expected to revert to epoxide in the more alkaline intestinal environment.