Catalyst For Regeneration Research Articles

The combination of a polymer–carbon composite electrode with a high-absorptivity ruthenium dye achieves an efficient dye-sensitized solar cell based on a thiolate–disulfide redox couple

To overcome the intrinsic shortcomings of the traditional iodide-triiodide redox couple and pursue a further performance improvement, intense efforts have been made to exploit alternative redox shuttles in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Herein, we report an energetic and kinetic view of DSCs when the iodine electrolyte is substituted with its thiolate counterpart and identify that a conventional platinum counter electrode presents low catalytic activity for the thiolate electrolyte, featuring a high charge transfer resistance found at the platinized fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO). We employ conductive carbon black with several polymers to fabricate highly active composite catalysts for thiolate regeneration. The use of a highly active conductive carbon black and polymerized 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene composition as a counter electrode combined with a high-absorptivity ruthenium dye C106 sensitized titania film has generated a DSC with an organic thiolated electrolyte, exhibiting an overall power conversion efficiency of 7.6% under AM1.5G full sunlight.

Deactivation characteristics of Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 catalyst for cyclic regeneration in a portable steam reformer

The requirements of process parameters, e.g. air pump flow rate and operational pressure are restricted by confined space and limit the performance of portable steam propane reformer. This makes it difficult to operate a catalyst in the portable reformer under mild operation conditions. Hence, the catalyst can be rapidly deactivated. The deactivation behavior of Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 catalyst was investigated for coke deposition and active metal sintering. Coke formation by the propane pyrolysis was predominantly responsible for deactivation at low reaction temperature. Coke formation can be thermodynamically reduced by elevating the temperature and hence the steam reformer was operated at high temperature to inhibit coke formation. Although the Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 catalyst made small amounts of coke at high temperature, it was deactivated by the encapsulated carbon on active metal during long term operation. Because a compact air pump for catalyst regeneration was available during the shut-down procedure of our portable fuel cell system, the catalysts could be regenerated by coke oxidation. The cyclic oxidation was useful for long term operation. The properties of the used catalyst and the coke were investigated by XRD, NEXAFS, XANES-TPO, TGA and TEM. The Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 catalyst in our portable reformer showed stable activity for steam propane reforming in cyclic oxidation operation for 500h.

Systematic evaluation of the dihydrogen-oxidising and NAD+-reducing soluble [NiFe]-hydrogenase from Ralstonia eutropha H16 as a cofactor regeneration catalyst

The oxygen-tolerant NAD+-reducing soluble hydrogenase (SH) from Ralstonia eutropha H16 has been described as a promising catalyst for cofactor regeneration in biocatalysed reductions. In this study, the actual potential of this enzyme for application in technical synthesis was evaluated. An overproduced, purified version of the enzyme was coupled to the carbonyl reductase from Candida parapsilosis (CPCR), where it allowed an almost quantitative conversion of the model substrate; total turnover numbers (TTN: nproduct/nenzyme) of up to 143,666 were achieved. This was distinctly superior to the commonly used NADH regenerating enzyme formate dehydrogenase (FDH) from Candida boidinii. In a systematic quantitative approach, maximum activity for NAD+ reduction was observed at 35 °C and pH 8, which corresponds to that of native SH. The half-life of the enzyme under these conditions was 5.3 hours. In the presence of sodium salts, distinct inhibitory effects were observed while ammonium and potassium ions increased the enzyme stability. Overall, a high but not unusual sensitivity of SH for changes in temperature, pH and mechanical stress in a reactor was found. Technical application in chemical synthesis can therefore be considered a feasible goal.

Meanwhile structures

The interconnection of building value, site development value, evolving social need and building obsolescence determine the degree of temporariness of all structures. Everyone is familiar with the spectacle of abandoned sites awaiting future development. Proactive local authorities such as Newham, seeking social benefit and ways to encourage investment, are looking for ‘meanwhile structures’ as catalysts for urban regeneration. This paper explores types of meanwhile structures through historical reference and dRMM project examples. The authors demonstrate how design for the short term can practically, financially and culturally contribute to a society in a global financial crisis regeneration process.

Flow-through 3D biofuel cell anode for NAD+-dependent enzymes

NAD+-dependent enzymes require the presence of catalysts for cofactor regeneration in order to be employed in enzymatic biofuel cells. Poly-(methylene green) catalysts have proven to help the oxidation reaction of NADH allowing for the use of such enzymes in electrocatalytic oxidation reactions. In this paper we present the development of 3D anode based on NAD+-dependent malate dehydrogenase. The 3D material chosen was reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) which was modified with poly-(MG) for NADH oxidation and it also accommodated the porous immobilization matrix for MDH consisting of MWCNTs embedded in chitosan; allowing for mass transport of the substrate to the electrode. Scanning electron microscopy was used in order to characterize the poly-(MG)-modified RVC, and electrochemical evaluation of the anode was performed.

Using heritage in regeneration: the role of museums

In recent years high profile examples such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and Tate Modern in London have been advanced as evidence of how museums can contribute effectively to culture-led regeneration. While the concept of culture-led regeneration — where flagship investment serves as the catalyst for regeneration — is a significant means by which museums can contribute, this is not the only way in which they do so. Cultural regeneration, where cultural activity is fully integrated into regeneration plans alongside other considerations such as economic and environmental, should be emphasised because it can help create and maintain social capital, a key determinant of successful regeneration. Museums are well placed to play a part in this. Lessons are emerging from practice around both culture-led and cultural regeneration, and relate to ensuring the integration of museums in planning from the earliest stages, and effective partnerships between museum professionals and planners, regeneration professionals and engineers.

The geographies of the creative industries: scale, clusters and connectivity

ABSTRACTThe creative industries comprise one of the fastest growing sectors of the UK economy. This article introduces the geographies of these industries in the context of recent government policy that regards the sector as a catalyst for economic, social and cultural regeneration. It then focuses on one region, the South West, and one sub-sector, the digital media industry, as a background to exploring the activities of the creative agency South West Screen and the company Spider Eye Animation. Thinking about these organisations enables us to explore the clusters, networks and connections that characterise the geographies of the creative industries and to illuminate the links between local, regional, national and international scales.

Revitalization and counter‐revitalization: tourism, heritage, and the Lantern Festival as catalysts for regeneration in Hội An, Việt Nam

When employed for development purposes, tourism often elicits a fundamental tension between locals’ desire (and need) to both change and to stay the same. Like other development projects, it is often paradoxically conceived as a means of empowering and ‘bettering’ hosts that necessarily rests in the hands of the guests. After briefly tracing the historical conjunctures between development discourses and tourism, the author argues for the adoption of an alternative theory, one that eschews development’s tautologies and evolutionary notions: Anthony Wallace’s classic revitalization theory, a ‘deliberate, organized, conscious effort by members of a society to construct a more satisfying culture’. He contends that this paradigm is a more totalizing set of processes, since it accounts for environmental, religious, psychological, and biological pressures stemming from extra‐cultural challenges. Using ethnographic fieldwork to explore the emergence of Hội An from a sleepy Vietnamese town into the country’s most popular destination, the author shows that, while the impetus for the adoption of tourism may have been the intervention of outsiders, locals perceiving a variety of pressures on their way of life truly shaped the manner in which the town regenerated itself. In particular, they respond to the tension between transformation and tradition by implementing a monthly Lantern Festival that ritually refreshes their sense of communitas and reinforces the unique temporality in which they live. More importantly, it urges both practitioners and theorists to consider the productivity of adopting a revitalization paradigm to better understand and implement urban regeneration projects that focus on tourism and festivals.

Does a ‘Barcelona Model’ Really Exist? Periods, Territories and Actors in the Process of Urban Transformation

The so-called ‘Barcelona Model’ of urban regeneration is known world-wide as a ‘success story’. Amongst the most frequently mentioned features of this ‘model’ are: the use of major events – such as the Olympic Games – as catalysts for great urban regeneration; the adoption of a relational mode of urban governance based on the collaboration between different tiers of government, public and private bodies; the political and administrative decentralisation and the participation of the citizenship. However, the ‘Barcelona Model’ has also received strong criticism from certain segments of the city's academic elite and several local social movements. This article calls into question the mere existence of one ‘Barcelona Model’. It highlights how the main strategies of urban public policy have changed in different periods. It illustrates that, territorially speaking, the strategies of urban regeneration have also been very varied. Eventually, it shows that the networks of urban actors involved in processes of urban change have been significantly diverse. Some learning elements for the analysis of urban regeneration are highlighted at the end of the article.

Understory Colonization of Eucalyptus Plantations in Hawaii in Relation to Light and Nutrient Levels

Abstract Exotic tree plantations may serve as catalysts for native forest regeneration in agriculturally degraded landscapes. In 2001, we evaluated plant species regeneration in the understory of a 7‐year‐old experimental Eucalyptus saligna forest in Hawaii approximately 1 year after the cessation of 5 years of herbicide. These forests were organized in a 2 × 2–factorial design of planting density (1 × 1– or 3 × 3–m spacing) and fertilization (unfertilized control and regular fertilization), which resulted in varying resource availabilities. We found that understory biomass was highest under high light conditions, regardless of fertilization treatment, whereas species richness was lowest under fertilized 1 × 1–m plots. The understory was dominated by species exotic to Hawaii. The most common tree species, the noxious weed Citharexylum caudatum, was particularly successful because high light–saturated photosynthesis rates and a low light compensation point allowed for high growth and survival under both light conditions. To assess longer‐term recruitment patterns, we resurveyed a portion of this site in 2006 and also surveyed five Eucalyptus plantations in this region of Hawaii that differed in age (5–23 years), species (E. saligna, E. grandis, E. cloeziana, E. microcorys), and management (experimental, industrial, nonindustrial stewardship); all were established on previous agricultural sites within approximately 3 km of native‐dominated forest. Again, very few native species were present in any of the stands, indicating that within certain landscapes and for native species with certain life history traits, exotic plantations may be ineffective nursery ecosystems for the regeneration of native species.

Evaluation of metal based fuel-borne catalysts for diesel particulate filter regeneration

An investigation of the effects of metal-based fuel-borne catalysts on the loading and regeneration performance of Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) installed on a test vehicle is presented. A test protocol that comprises regeneration attempts at steady state speeds following a loading phase for about 100 km was applied for the performance screening. None of the additives tested led to a complete regeneration of the filter under normal driving conditions. This was possible only if engine operation was modified in order to increase exhaust temperature. Methylcyclopentadienyl Manganese Tricarbonyl (MMT) in the higher concentration mixture in the fuel was found to be the most effective of the additives tested in terms of regeneration onset temperature.

Entrepreneurial in-migrants and economic development in rural England

Counterurbanisation has generally been viewed as a negative phenomenon, but Stockdale and Findlay (2004) presented rural in-migration as potentially 'a catalyst for economic regeneration' based on in-migrants' business activity. More than half of rural microbusinesses in the North-East of England are owned by in-migrants and provide an estimated 10% of jobs in the rural North-East (Bosworth, 2006). In the light of these new drivers of rural development, exogenous and endogenous approaches alone are increasingly inadequate (Lowe et al., 1995; Murdoch, 2000; Terluin, 2003). Ray instead proposed Neo-Endogenous Development, defined as 'endogenous based development in which extra-local factors are recognised as essential but which retains belief in the potential of local areas to shape their future' (2001, p.4). Preliminary research suggests that in-migrants tend to retain more extensive business networks while developing valuable local contacts (Bosworth, 2006). As endogenous actors with diverse networks, in-migrants are well placed to strengthen connectivity with the 'extra-local' and introduce new vitality to rural economies.

Catalyst regeneration and activity enhancement of Au/TiO2 by atmospheric pressure nonthermal plasma

Abstract In this work, a nonthermal plasma was applied to the TiO 2 -supported gold nanoparticle catalysts (Au/TiO 2 ) for the catalyst regeneration and the enhancement of catalytic activity for CO oxidation. Exposure to the 100 ppm toluene or C 3 H 6 resulted in rapid deactivation of the Au/TiO 2 catalyst. Oxygen plasma and O 3 injection were found to be effective in the regeneration of the deactivated Au/TiO 2 catalysts. The adsorbed toluene or C 3 H 6 preferentially decomposed to CO 2 regardless of the regeneration method. Direct application of nonthermal plasma greatly enhanced the CO oxidation not only over the completely deactivated Au/TiO 2 catalysts, but also over the Au/TiO 2 catalysts prepared by the impregnation method, which showed no catalytic activity without plasma.

Mastering Intrapreneurial Behaviour for Sustained Socioeconomic Development

Heritage is the key to the success of the tourism industry in Wales. Tourism itself is one of the largest and most important industries in the Principality, contributing £2.5 billion in spending from visitors, 7% to GDP and 10% of jobs to the economy. Following a period of substantial growth during the 1980s and 1990s, the industry has seen a period of decline over recent years. This paper analyses the proposition that an attitude of enterprise and innovation must be embraced if the heritage tourism industry in Wales is to be used as a catalyst for economic regeneration and development. The aim of the study was to assess to what extent intrapreneurial behaviour was occurring in the three organizations investigated and what were the views on enterprise of those surveyed. The research reported on case studies of the intrapreneurial characteristics of the small and medium-sized heritage tourism enterprises (SMHTEs) in the eastern valleys of south Wales. Three organizations were analysed and the data collated to produce, in combination with the contemporary literature, recommendations for successful growth and sustained socioeconomic development. The conclusions of the work suggest that intrapreneurial behaviour in existing organizations is directly linked to staff engagement and empowerment.

Energy efficiency in new museum build: THEpUBLIC

The project MUSEUMS, awarded the Thermie Grant from the European Commission, has applied and tested new and innovative technologies for optimizing energy efficiency and sustainability in nine retrofitted and new museum buildings in Europe. The project will significantly contribute to the acceptance of innovative and renewable technologies in public buildings by demonstrating that retrofitted and new museum buildings can fully meet architectural, functional, comfort, control and safety requirements as well as achieve total energy savings of over 35% and reduce CO2 emissions by over 50%. THEpUBLIC will be a stunning and modern flagship building containing six storeys, with a total area of 11,000 m2 of galleries for exhibitions, digital art and hands-on displays. In addition, there will be workspaces, creative spaces, retail opportunities, restaurant facilities, public areas, conference rooms and other multi-function spaces. Initiated by Jubilee Arts, the THEpUBLIC, designed by Alsop Architects, will introduce and engage its 400,000 expected visitors in the principles of energy and the environment through a display of art, education, technology and entertainment in the centre of West Bromwich, Sandwell. It will serve as a catalyst for urban regeneration within Sandwell. Battle McCarthy’s key environmental design solutions for THEpUBLIC include natural daylighting, mixed-mode ventilation system with operable windows, low energy and maintenance cost systems, potential for integrating renewable energy collection systems, borehole water systems for cooling and water supply, an intelligent facade system with external shading and natural ventilation and night cooling systems.

City/culture discourses: Evidence from the competition to select the European capital of culture 2008

In the current era of globalization, manufacturing decline and place marketing, many cities have turned to culture as a favoured means of gaining competitive advantage. The European Capital of Culture (ECOC) programme has been a significant catalyst for culture-led regeneration. In 2008 the ECOC title will be held by a UK city, and in 2000 the UK government launched a major competition to decide the nomination. This article reports on a study of three of the cities that participated in the competition: Liverpool, Cardiff and Bristol. The main aim of the study was to explore how far the Capital of Culture process in the UK had led to fresh thinking on what culture can do for a city. The paper has three main sections. First, it gives a brief account of the background of the ECOC programme and briefly reviews evidence on the impacts of the programme to date. Second, it outlines the process that was used to decide the UK nomination. It then looks in more detail at the experience of the three case study cities, examining in particular the discourses of culture and the city that seem to be at work in their ECOC bids.

Stadia development as a catalyst for regeneration

For many, the World Cup stadia in Japan and Korea set new standards in terms of stadium design and left people in England asking ‘Why can't our stadia be like that?’. Perhaps what is easily forgotten is that recent years have witnessed considerable investment in stadia in the UK in the light of legislative and other pressures. England now has some of the safest, most comfortable and atmospheric stadia anywhere. This paper explores some of the trends in stadia development over the last ten years and argues that issues surrounding stadia development and redevelopment form part of the wider debate concerning urban regeneration. Citing as examples the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, the Britannia Stadium, Stoke and Bolton's Reebok Stadium, it argues that the feasibility of stadia development is affected by matters concerning land, infrastructure and property development opportunities. It argues that there is an interaction between stadia development and other commercial development opportunities so that, in some cases, a location and development decision regarding a stadium can act as a catalyst for attracting new development in the locality. Drawing on examples in the USA, and more recent developments at Southampton and Leicester, the paper argues that, in future, stadia provision is likely to be driven by two key factors: financing of football and the regeneration and property development opportunities. In the light of this argument the future plans for Arsenal and Everton are analysed and conclusions drawn.

THE RISE AND FALL OF AN ENTERPRISE CLUSTER IN AFRICA: THE JEWELLERY INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA

ABSTRACT The success of industrial districts in Europe has inspired a wealth of studies on enterprise clusters and networks, not only in the context of developed but also less developed countries. In the latter context, especially, the concept of industrial districts proved alluring insofar as it affirmed the capacity of small businesses to become internationally competitive and thereby act as catalysts for economic regeneration. It has more recently been acknowledged that an industrial district “model” falls short in explaining differences between clusters of firms and that a more realistic interpretation of enterprise clusters is obtained through focusing on their trajectory of development. In this paper the jewellery industry in Johannesburg is examined from its early development as an industrial cluster in the downtown area, circa late 1930s, to the present period which has been characterised by efforts to regroup the industry in town, and increase its competitiveness through the promotion of co-operation and network ties.

ChemInform Abstract: Natural Kaolinitic Clay and EPZG®: Efficient Solid Catalysts for Selective Regeneration of Carboxylic Acids from Their Corresponding Allyl or Cinnamyl Esters.

AbstractChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.

Natural Kaolinitic Clay and EPZGR: Efficient Solid Catalysts for Selective Regeneration of Carboxylic Acids from Their Corresponding Allyl or Cinnamyl Esters.

Natural kaolinitic clay and EPZGR were found to be efficient catalysts for selective regeneration of carboxylic acids from their corresponding allyl or cinnamyl esters. R: Registered trade mark of Contract Chemicals, England.