Aromatic Content Research Articles

Flavor Characterization of Native Xinjiang Flat Peaches Based on Constructing Aroma Fingerprinting and Stoichiometry Analysis.

The flat peach is a high economic value table fruit possessing excellent quality and a unique aroma. This article investigated the quality characteristics and aroma fingerprinting of flat peaches (Qingpan, QP; Ruipan 2, R2; Ruipan 4, R4; Wanpan, WP) from Xinjiang in terms of taste, antioxidant capacity, and volatile aroma compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HS-SPME-GC-MS. The results showed that the flat peaches had a good taste and high antioxidant capacity, mainly due to the high sugar-low acid property and high levels of phenolic compounds. This study found that sucrose (63.86~73.86%) was the main sugar, and malic acid (5.93~14.96%) and quinic acid (5.25~15.01%) were the main organic acids. Furthermore, chlorogenic acid (main phenolic compound), epicatechin, rutin, catechin, proanthocyanidin B1, and neochlorogenic acid were positively related to the antioxidant activity of flat peaches. All flat peaches had similar aroma characteristics and were rich in aromatic content. Aldehydes (especially benzaldehyde and 2-hexenal) and esters were the main volatile compounds. The aroma fingerprinting of flat peaches consisted of hexanal, 2-hexenal, nonanal, decanal, benzaldehyde, 2,4-decadienal, dihydro-β-ionone, 6-pentylpyran-2-one, 2-hexenyl acetate, ethyl caprylate, γ-decalactone, and theaspirane, with a "peach-like", "fruit", and "coconut-like" aroma. Among them, 2,4-decadienal, 2-hexenyl acetate, and theaspirane were the characteristic aroma compounds of flat peaches. The results provide a theoretical basis for the industrial application of the special aroma of flat peaches.

The effect of biotransformation of sewage sludge- and willow-derived biochars by horseradish peroxidase on total and freely dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content

This study analyzed the effect of enzymatic aging (horseradish peroxidase) of biochars on their content of solvent extractable (Ctot) and freely dissolved (Cfree) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Physicochemical properties and phytotoxicity of pristine and aged biochars were also compared. The study used biochars obtained at 500 or 700 °C from sewage sludges (SSLs) or willow. Compared to SSL-derived biochars, willow-derived biochars were more susceptible to enzymatic oxidation. Aging increased the specific surface area and pore volume of most SSL-derived biochars. An opposite direction, however, was found in the willow-derived biochars. Low-temperature biochars, regardless of their feedstock, underwent physical changes, such as removal of labile ash components or degradation of aromatic structures. The enzyme caused an increase in the content of Ctot light PAHs in biochars (by 34–3402 %) and heavy PAHs (≥4 rings) in the low-temperature SSL-derived biochars (by 46–713 %). In turn, the content of Cfree PAHs decreased in aged SSL-derived biochars (by 32–100 %). In the willow-derived biochars the bioavailability of acenaphthene increased (by 337–669 %), while the immobilization degree of some PAHs was lower (25–70 %) compared to the SSL-derived biochars (32–83 %). Nevertheless, aging positively affected the ecotoxicological properties of all biochars by increasing their stimulation effects or removing their phytotoxic effects on both Lepidium sativum seed germination and root growth. Significant relationships between the changes in Cfree PAH content, pH and salinity of SSL-derived biochars and seed germination/root growth inhibition were found. The study demonstrates that the risk associated with application of SSL-derived biochars, regardless of the type of SSL and pyrolysis temperature, can be lower in terms of Cfree PAHs than in the case of willow-derived biochars. Regarding to Ctot PAHs, high-temperature SSL-derived biochars are safer than low-temperature ones. In the case of application of high-temperature SSL-derived biochars, these with moderate alkalinity and salinity will not bring risks for plants.

Hydrocarbon selectivity enhancement through catalytic fast co-pyrolysis of almond shell and plastic blends

BackgroundThe aim of this article is to explore possible pathways for the synergistic optimization of bio-oil by the catalytic fast co-pyrolysis of almond shell (AS) and plastic residues (polyethylene, PE, and polystyrene, PS). Pyrolysis was carried out at 650 °C at a heating rate of 20 °C/ms at a residence time of 20 s. Hydrogen from the plastic promoted the decarboxylation of acids and decarbonylation of carbonyls and sugars from biomass waste.ResultsCo-pyrolysis results showed a fall in oxygen in the AS/plastics blends, whereas carbon yields increased as did the calorific value of the oil. As expected, AS/PE blends enhanced production of hydrocarbon fractions, especially olefins, with yields reaching 81.1%, whereas AS/PS blends enhanced formation of aromatic compounds. HZSM-5 assisted the increase of monocyclic aromatics content in AS/PE blends. AS/PS blends favoured the increased of aromatics (45% of total hydrocarbons for 1:2 AS/PE-HZ). For AS/PS-HZ blends toluene was enhanced as was the production of 1,3,5-cycloheptatriene.ConclusionsThese findings helped to gain a great insight into how catalytic co-fast pyrolysis of feedstocks can enhance the formation of value-added products, promoting their economic potential for agricultural exploitations.Graphical

Hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile UF-membrane for surface and TAP water treatment: Influence on DBPs formation and removal

The integration of pre-treatment methods with low pressure-driven ultrafiltration (UF) has been found effective for reducing the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water. In this study, a low dose peroxone (H2O2/O3) assisted alkaline hydrolyzed polyacrylonitrile (HPAN) UF-membrane system was explored, to determine its performance efficiency against two dissolved organic matter (DOM) sources and TAP water, specifically focusing the formation and removal of regulated DBPs. Increased hydrophilicity, enhanced incorporation of carboxyl groups, and decreased surface porosity were observed for the PAN membrane as a function of increased hydrolysis time. Filtration experiments involving humic acid (HA) and samples of real DOM sources displayed a high flux recovery (>90%) with the HPAN membrane. The initial flux for the optimized HPAN was found to be twice than that of the NF-3 membrane, irrespective of the DOM source. However, a relatively comparable removal efficiency was observed for both HPAN and NF-3 membranes in terms of organic matter and DBPs formation potential. Additionally, the H2O2/O3-HPAN system significantly reduced the aromatic and fluorescent content of the DOM by upto 70–80%, as represented by the DOC, UV254 and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) components. The fluorescence ratio C1/C2 showed a relatively greater reduction for soil-derived organic matter (SOM) as compared to the Olympic Lake (OL) water. Post-chlorination was found highly effective for the degradation of the humic-like DOM component (C1) than that of the fulvic and protein-like components. Moreover, the integration of H2O2/O3 with HPAN was able to remove 80% of the THMs and HAAs formation for both OL and SOM samples, together with a comparable reduction in DBP cytotoxicity. Interestingly, the HPAN membrane by reducing the TAP water DBPs upto 50%, fulfills the criteria of USEPA maximum contaminant level for drinking water.

Polyethylene terephthalate conversion into liquid fuel by its co-pyrolysis with low- and high-density polyethylene employing scrape aluminium as catalyst

ABSTRACT The co-pyrolysis of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was carried out in a batch steel pyrolyzer in order to convert the PET into pyrolysis oil as its pyrolysis alone resulted in wax and gases. The study also aimed to increase the aromatic content of pyrolysis oil by the interaction of degradation fragments of linear chains of LDPE and HDPE with the benzene ring of PET during the pyrolysis. The reaction conditions were optimized for a higher yield of pyrolysis oil which were found to be 500 °C pyrolysis temperature with a heating rate of 0.5 °Cs−1, 1 h reaction time and 20 g of the initial mass of polymer mixture having 20% PET, 40% LDPE and 40% HDPE. Waste aluminium particles were applied as an economical catalyst in the process. The thermal co-pyrolysis yielded 8% pyrolysis oil, 32.3 wax, 39.7 wt% gases and 20% coke while the catalytic co-pyrolysis produced 30.2% pyrolysis oil, 4.2% wax, 53.6 wt% gases and 12% coke. The fractional distillation of catalytic oil resulted in 46% gasoline range oil, 31% kerosene range oil and 23% diesel range oil. These fractions resembled the standard fuels in terms of their fuel properties as well as FT-IR spectra. The GC-MS analysis revealed that the catalytic co-pyrolysis favoured the formation of relatively short-chain hydrocarbons with olefins and isoparaffins as major components while the thermal co-pyrolysis formed long-chain paraffins. The naphthenes and aromatics were also found in higher amounts in the catalytic oil compared with the thermal oil.

Assessing the half-life and degradation kinetics of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons by bacteria isolated from crude oil contaminated soil

Pollution from the oil industries and refineries has worsened various environmental compartments. In this study, indigenous oil degrading bacteria were isolated from crude oil obtained from an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) asset in Ankleshwar, Gujarat, India. Based on 16S rRNA phylogeny, they were identified as Pseudomonas boreopolis IITR108, Microbacterium schleiferi IITR109, Pseudomonas aeruginosa IITR110, and Bacillus velezensis IITR111. The strain IITR108, IITR109, IITR110, and IITR111 showed 80–89% and 71–78% degradation of aliphatic (C8–C40) and aromatic (4–5 ring) hydrocarbons respectively in 45 d when supplemented with 3% (v/v) waste crude oil. When compared to individual bacteria, the consortium degrades 93.2% of aliphatic hydrocarbons and 85.5% of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. It was observed that the total aliphatic and aromatic content of crude oil 394,470 μg/mL and 47,050 μg/mL was reduced up to 9617.75 μg/mL and 4586 μg/mL respectively in 45 d when consortium was employed. The rate kinetics analysis revealed that the biodegradation isotherm followed first order kinetics, with a linear correlation between concentration (hydrocarbons) and time intervals. The half-life of aliphatic (C8–C40) and aromatic hydrocarbons ranged from 200 to 453 h and 459–714 h respectively. All the bacteria efficiently produced catabolic enzymes such as alkane monooxygenase, alcohol dehydrogenase, and lipase during the degradation of crude oil. These findings indicated that the bacterial consortium can be a better candidate for bioremediation and reclamation of aliphatic and aromatics hydrocarbon contaminated sites.

Effect of kerosene aromaticity as a solvent on bulk and interfacial properties of Brazilian heavy crude oil with high asphaltene content

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of solvent aromaticity on asphaltene stability and interfacial behaviour using typical diluted heavy oils, which better represent the chemical diversity of petroleum components than previous studies that used simple solvent mixtures with low asphaltene concentrations. A Brazilian crude with high viscosity and asphaltene content was diluted with two kerosenes, one containing only saturated compounds (KeS), and the other a saturates/aromatics mixture (KeSA) to maintain total aromaticity in the oil mixture upon dilution. Viscosity, asphaltene stability, interfacial tension, and elasticity of the oil mixtures were measured, and correlated with emulsion stability, regarding the differences in solvent aromaticity and aromatics/saturates ratio. The results showed that the different kerosene compositions affected bulk viscosity and asphaltene flocculation, but had a lesser effect on oil/brine interfacial tension due to the high asphaltene content in the diluted oil. The elastic modulus decreased at higher dilutions with KeS, while it remained consistent for KeSA mixtures, which supported the differences obtained in emulsion stability, at solvent concentrations within the optimal aromaticity ratio reported for simple solvent mixtures. Interfacial segregation of the aromatics in KeSA was also observed, which has not been reported in previous studies using complex solvents. These findings suggest that the trends reported with model oils, such as heptol with added asphaltenes, can also be applied to more realistic complex oil mixtures with higher asphaltene concentrations. Nevertheless, it was suggested that maintaining the aromatic content may not be enough to prevent asphaltene flocculation upon dilution, due to the concurrent increase in saturates.

Experimental investigation of the interface interaction between asphalt binder and mineral filler from the aspects of materials properties

The strength of the interface between asphalt and filler is relatively low, making it susceptible to stress concentration and damage, which can affect the service life of the asphalt pavement. Current research indicates that there is a significant relationship between the interfacial interaction behavior and the properties of both asphalt and filler. Based on this, this study investigated the influence of both asphalt and filler properties on the interaction behavior of the asphalt-filler interface. Firstly, this study conducted research on existing interaction evaluation indicators and selected Palierne C as the optimal evaluation indicator for this study, which has the weakest correlation with filler volume fraction, in order to avoid the influence of filler volume fraction on experimental results. Secondly, this study analyzed the effects of asphalt SARA components and aging degree on the interface interaction ability between asphalt and fillers, as well as the rheological properties of asphalt. The research results found that the asphaltenes and resins fractions can enhance the interaction ability between asphalt and filler, as well as the high-temperature performance of asphalt. The content of these fractions was positively correlated with the interaction between the interfaces. In contrast, the content of aromatics and saturates fractions was negatively correlated with the interaction capacity. The strength of the interaction was negatively correlated with aging time, and long-term aging inhibited interface interaction to a greater extent than short-term aging. Finally, the mineral and chemical composition of common fillers were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X Ray Fluorescence (XRF). Subsequent studies were carried out on the interaction of the asphalt-filler interface in terms of the mineral composition, chemical composition, and particle size of the filler. It was found that in terms of mineral composition, albite and asphalt have the strongest ability to interact at the same temperature, followed by calcite and the weakest by quartz. In terms of chemical composition, the strongest interaction was between MgO and asphalt, followed by CaO, Fe2O3 and Al2O3, and the interaction between SiO2 and asphalt was the worst. In addition, the smaller the particle size of the filler, the greater the interaction capacity.

On the Increase in the Renewable Fraction in Diesel Blends using Aviation Fuel in a Common Rail Engine

Biodiesel has gained wide acceptance as an alternative to petroleum-derived fuel due to its environmentally friendly characteristics such as low aromatic and sulfur content, biodegradability and low exhaust gas emission. Although many types of feedstock could be used to produce biodiesel, waste cooking or frying oil (WCO) is a promising multiple-advantage solution. However, the use of WCO biodiesel has some drawbacks: the high viscosity and the low volatility create difficulties in atomization and in fuel–air mixing. Experiments were performed to investigate the potential employment of aviation fuels in blends with biodiesel obtained from WCO, renewable diesel and petrol diesel. The objective of the research was to evaluate Jet A’s potential to improve the blend properties, thus helping to overcome the difficulties in biodiesel usage, enabling the percentage of renewable fuel in the blend to be increased and therefore allowing a reduction in the engine’s environmental impact. The experimental activity was carried out on a small-displacement, common rail diesel engine; during the tests, the engine control unit settings were unchanged, with the aim of reproducing the engine behavior when it operated with different fuels.

Lignin-coordinated highly dispersed Pd[sbnd]Zn alloy nanocluster supported on N-doped nanolayer carbon and its application in hexavalent chromium detoxification

As a renewable and low-cost biomacromolecule with high aromaticity and carbon content, lignin is a promising raw material for preparation of versatile carbon materials. Herein, we present a facile one-pot approach to prepare PdZn alloy nanocluster catalysts supported on N-doped lignin-derived nanolayer carbon through facile pyrolysis of melamine-mixed lignin-Pd-Zn complex. The dispersion of the PdZn alloy nanoclusters could be effectively modulated by varying the addition of melamine and the molar ratio of Pd and Zn salts. PdZn alloy nanocluster catalysts (Pd-Zn29@N10C) with ultra-small particle size (about 0.47 nm) were prepared when 10 times of melamine (relative to lignin weight) was added and the molar ratio of Pd and Zn salts was 1:29. Thereby, the catalyst presented superior catalytic activity for reduction of Cr(VI) to harmfulless Cr(III), significantly better than the two references Zn@N10C (without Pd addition) and Pd-Zn29@C (without N doping), as well as the commercial Pd/C. In addition, thanks to the strong anchoring of the PdZn alloy on the N-doped nanolayer support, the Pd-Zn29@N10C catalysts also exhibited good reusability. Consequently, the current study provides a straightforward and feasible method for producing highly dispersed PdZn alloy nanoclusters by lignin coordination, and further demonstrates its excellent applicability in hexavalent chromium reduction.

Application of multiple ultra-high-pressure homogenization to the pasteurization process of Japanese rice wine, sake

Hiire is a pasteurization process in the production of Japanese rice wine (sake), which stabilizes the quality of product; however, it also generates the carcinogen ethyl carbamate (EC). In this study, we investigated the application of ultra-high-pressure homogenization (UHPH) as an alternative sterilization method for sake production. Microbiological analysis revealed that multiple UHPH treatments sterilized hiochi lactobacilli (Lactobacillus fructivorans, L. homohiochii, L. casei, and L. hilgardii) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Enzyme activity assays revealed that α-amylase, glucoamylase, and acid-carboxypeptidase activities were reduced to less than 1% of the levels in non-pasteurized sake after four-time UHPH treatment. These results show that UHPH treatment meets the two requirements of the sake sterilization process sterilization and enzyme inactivation. The UHPH-processed sake did not show any significant changes in general properties but had reduced organic acid and aromatic component contents, with ethyl caproate content showing the most significant reduction of approximately 20%. Interestingly, EC was detected in pasteurized sake but not in UHPH-processed sake. These findings indicate that the UHPH technology could be used to inactivate microorganisms and enzymes in sake without generating EC.

Effects of cyclic absorption–desorption of model fuels by aerospace‐grade carbon/epoxy composites

AbstractThe aviation industry is in the process of using several alternative fuels sourced from renewable sources to decrease its impact on the environment. These alternative fuels are mostly comprised of aliphatic hydrocarbons and have low to no aromatic content. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved several drop‐in fuels, in which alternative fuels are typically blended with conventional Jet A fuel. Because of blending, the drop‐in fuels consist of both aliphatic and aromatic components. To achieve a fundamental understanding of how individual aliphatic and aromatic components interact with the aerospace‐grade composites, we have considered four model fuels, three aliphatic with varying chain lengths and one aromatic. The absorption of these model fuels by composites in three absorption/desorption cycles was captured and compared to the conventional Jet A fuel. The equilibrium weight gain by the composites due to absorption was low but was different for each model fuel, and the trend could be validated using Hansen solubility parameters. The absorption of model fuels decreased the glass transition temperature of composites. The change in glass transition temperature was not significantly different between the model fuels and the conventional fuel. These results can be translated to alternative fuels, making them a possible substitute for Jet A in the aviation industry.

Supercritical water gasification of chicken manure continuously supplied into the reactor

The article presents the research results of the chicken manure gasification in supercritical water. The experiments were carried out using a tubular flow reactor at a pressure of 25 MPa, a temperature gradient along its vertical axis (390–600 °C from top to bottom), and a chicken manure flow rate of 6.9–9.6 g/min, including experiments with the addition of NaOH (2.4 wt%). Data were obtained on the yield and composition of carbonized residues, volatile and liquid products, as well as the content of toxic substances (phenols, N-containing aromatics, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)) and mineral components in effluent collected at the reactor outlet. It is shown that an increase in the residence time of reagents in the high-temperature region of the reactor (HTR) improves the gasification efficiency. Using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry, it was revealed that phenol, pyridine, pyrazine, pyrrole, aniline, indole, quinoline, and their alkyl derivatives predominate in the composition of water-soluble products. The total content of phenols in effluent decreases from 1.3 to 1.1 g/dm3 when increasing the residence time of reagents in HTR, and does not depend on adding NaOH while the total content of N-containing aromatics decreases from 1.0 to 0.7 g/dm3 when adding NaOH. The content of PAHs, which is dominated by naphthalene, increases from 0.5 to 2.1 mg/dm3 in effluent when increasing the residence time of reagents in HTR. According to capillary electrophoresis data, increasing the residence time in HTR and adding NaOH result in increase of the content of NH4+ ions in effluent from 9.8 to 10.9 g/dm3.

Structure of the humic acid-like compounds of raw and hydrothermally treated sewage sludge

Humic acids are of great interest in many fields; however, they are inhibitors of fermentative processes applied to hydrothermally treated sewage sludge. Hence, the structure and composition of soluble and bound humic acid-like fractions from raw and hydrothermally treated sewage sludge were studied. Lipid, polysaccharide, protein and aromatic fractions were identified, as well as a high nitrogen content (7–10 %) and low solubility in alkaline media. Thus, they do not strictly meet the chemical definition of ‘humic acids’. The soluble humic acid-like compounds had more aromatic and less protein content. Thermal hydrolysis of sewage sludge increased their aromaticity to the detriment of protein and polysaccharide fractions, while wet oxidation caused an increase in all structural fractions. Regarding the bound compounds, lipid, polysaccharide and aromatic fractions increased markedly during both treatments, although oxygen produced higher degradation of the protein fraction and, from 1 h, the partial degradation of aromatic compounds and an increase in the C/N atomic ratio (from 5.0 to 18.7 after 2 h). Therefore, hydrothermal treatments have a positive impact on the hydrolysate biodegradability due to the organic matter solubilisation, but also a negative impact linked to the higher solubilisation of the humic acid-like compounds and their structural changes.

Catalytic pyrolysis of corn stalk for the production of aromatics: The effects of wet torrefaction and Zn/Ni-HZSM-5 on pyrolysis behavior

The pyrolysis of corn stalk (CS) was carried out to investigate the effect of wet torrefaction (WT) pre-treatment and Zn/Ni-HZSM-5 on the production of bio-oil characteristics. The synergy between WT and the loaded metal catalyst was also analyzed. The oxygen content of the CS was reduced from 50.5% to 40.8% with WT, and hemicellulose was almost removed. WT pretreatment also significantly reduced the oxygenated compounds of bio-oil and increased the selectivity of phenols, aromatics, and anhydro-sugars. The addition of catalyst improved the deoxygenation, oligomerization, and aromatization during pyrolysis. The loading of Zn and Ni could optimize the pyrolysis reaction path and increased the relative content of monocyclic aromatics (MAHs) from 3.58% to 9.67% and 6.44% during the pyrolysis of CS-WT, respectively, and bimetallic catalyst further enhanced the relative content of MAHs to 11.1%. The relative content of aromatics below C9 was higher than other groups (14.8%). Thus, the WT pretreatment of raw materials and synergistic effect of catalysts can jointly optimize the biomass pyrolysis reaction.

Toxicity of exhaust emissions from high aromatic and non-aromatic diesel fuels using in vitro ALI exposure system

The differences in the traffic fuels have been shown to affect exhaust emissions and their toxicity. Especially, the aromatic content of diesel fuel is an important factor considering the emissions, notably particulate matter (PM) concentrations. The ultra-fine particles (UFP, particles with a diameter of <100 nm) are important components of engine emissions and connected to various health effects, such as pulmonary and systematic inflammation, and cardiovascular disorders. Studying the toxicity of the UFPs and how different fuel options can be used for mitigating the emissions and toxicity is crucial. In the present study, emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine were used to assess the exhaust emission toxicity with a thermophoresis-based in vitro air-liquid interface (ALI) exposure system. The aim of the study was to evaluate the toxicity of engine exhaust and the potential effect of 20 % aromatic fossil diesel and 0 % aromatic renewable diesel fuel on emission toxicity. The results of the present study show that the aromatic content of the fuel increases emission toxicity, which was seen as an increase in genotoxicity, distinct inflammatory responses, and alterations in the cell cycle. The increase in genotoxicity was most likely due to the PM phase of the exhaust, as the exposures with high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA)-filtered exhaust resulted in a negligible increase in genotoxicity. However, the solely gaseous exposures still elicited immunological responses. Overall, the present study shows that decreasing the aromatic content of the fuels could be a significant measure in mitigating traffic exhaust toxicity.

Risk Assessment of Oily Energy Resources: Current Challenges and Prospective Opportunities

By the time on the first exploration of reservoirs and design of refineries, there are many challenges appeared on the health, safety, and environment (HSE) by conduction of the fossil fuels such as the higher contents of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, halogen, metals, and aromatics. There are many side effects on the human health starting from the simple to the malignant diseases such as cancer. Also, the safety of equipement and catalysts are affected by the presence of high content of these impurities in oils by many phenomena such as corrosion, erosion, and poisoning. In the current work, a general overview of the risk assessment of HSE, techno-economical, and quality management problems and solutions are presented related to the oil, gas, water, and energy (OGWE) subjects in an oily developing country and area such as Iraq generally and Misan specifically. It was found the necessary to thinking towards improvement of the fossil energy to compete the clean energy and participation in the new renewable energy industry and transition.

In-situ NaCl nanocrystals template-induced self-assembly method to prepare anthracite-based hierarchical porous carbon with network-like structure for high-rate-performance supercapacitors

Using anthracite with high aromatic carbon content as the precursor, we propose an in situ sodium chloride (NaCl) nanocrystals template-induced self-assembly method to prepare high rate performance supercapacitor electrode materials. The capacitive carbon prepared in this method is characterized by hierarchical porous structure, network-like structure, and good electrical conductivity. With the synergistic effect of these structural features, it exhibits excellent supercapacitor performance. The optimum product (CPC-Na-5) displays high capacitance of 373 F g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 and still has 43 % capacity retention at 100 A g−1. The assembled symmetrical supercapacitor shows excellent rate performance with 86 % capacitance retention from 0.5 A g−1 (202 F g−1) to 50 A g−1 in 6 M KOH electrolyte. In the EMIMBF4 electrolyte, the energy density is 56.4 Wh kg−1 at 441.3 W kg−1 and remains 10 Wh kg−1 when the power density is increased to 27,375 W kg−1.

Further Development of Gasoline from the bioliq® Process with Focus on Particulate and Hydrocarbon Emissions

The production of CO2-neutral fuels is a key technology to achieve the European Union’s targets of greenhouse gas reduction in the transport sector. For a straightforward application such as drop-in fuel, regenerative gasoline must meet emission requirements without causing significant changes in engine parameters. The objective of this work was to demonstrate the emission reduction potential of fuel from the bioliq® plant by reducing the content of heavy aromatics in the product refinement. For three blends with varying contents of bioliq® fuel, the spray behavior was studied in a pressurized chamber and the particulate and hydrocarbon emissions were investigated using a single-cylinder research engine. With increasing bioliq® fuel content, atomization was degraded by lower flash boiling at low pressure. This effect vanished at higher chamber pressures. Measurements of particulate and hydrocarbon emissions showed significant improvements of 50% to 100% and 10%, respectively, compared to previously investigated bioliq® fuel fractions from 2017. The formation of particulate emissions is virtually unaffected by the blending of bioliq® fuel, due to the absence of heavy aromatics in the refined bioliq® product. Hydrocarbon emissions increased by 20% with higher bioliq® fuel content and late injection timings due to inferior mixture formation as a result of slightly reduced atomization. However, near the optimum injection timing, the hydrocarbon emissions are independent of the bioliq® fuel admixture.

Design of New Composites Nano-Catalysts for Naphtha Reforming Process: Experiments and Process Modeling

The naphtha catalytic reforming process is evaluated by designing new composite nano-catalysts. Three catalysts were prepared for this process. The first catalyst was molybdenum carbide composite with platinum over HY zeolite (Mo2C.Pt/HY zeolite), the second catalyst was molybdenum carbide composite with platinum over modified zeolite by cerium nitrate (Mo2C.Pt/CeY zeolite), and the last catalyst was bimetallic titanium and platinum with a titanium content of 1% and platinum content of 0.11% over HY zeolite (Pt.Ti/HY zeolite). All catalysts were tested with several tests, mainly X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), BET surface area, and pore volume. All these substances were applied as catalysts for the reforming process of Iraqi heavy naphtha at the following operating conditions: reaction temperature (480, 500, and 520 ), reaction pressure (10, 12.5, and 15 bar), liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV) at 2 hr-1, and constant hydrogen to hydrocarbon ratio (H2/ HC) of 4. All the reforming reactions occurred in a packed bed pilot plant reactor to investigate its stability and activity during the reforming process. All the developed catalyst samples showed sensational stability even at operating under difficult circumstances. The best catalyst was Pt.Ti/HY zeolite based on the results obtained with respect to the octane number (86.2) at 520 and 15 bar. Also, a mathematical model to describe the reforming process with high accuracy was built and simulated using gPROMS software. The results were very satisfying since the most significant error with the wt% of reformate was 4.9% (the experimental aromatics content was 23.94 wt.%, while the predicted result was 21.67 wt.%), while Research Octane Number (RON) error was 4.7% (the experimental RON was 81, whereas the predicted value of RON was 85) among all the results meaning that the simulating was valid to describe the process.