Chemical Industrial Areas Research Articles

A comprehensive study for probability prediction of domino effects considering synergistic effects

Domino effects are a complex phenomenon of accident escalation with high uncertainty, which could lead to catastrophic consequences. Predicting the probability of domino effects presents a great challenge in the field of process safety. In multi-level domino chains, synergistic effects of accidents would further raise the complexity of probability prediction since escalation vectors emitted from those accidents may be coupled. In this paper, four categories of synergistic effects are classified according to the type of accidents and their place on the domino accident sequence. Subsequently, specific models for estimating escalation probability under different synergistic accident scenarios are proposed based on the widely-used probit models, allowing the analysis of the coupling effects of escalation vectors. A probability prediction method for domino chains is further developed using Bayesian Network. The application of the developed method is demonstrated by a case study, and the domino probability is estimated accounting for the synergistic effects and all possible accident scenarios. The key units for promoting accident propagation are further identified through posterior probability analysis. The method would be helpful for domino risk assessment and management of any chemical industrial area.

Chemiresistive sensor based on PMMA/rGO composite for detection ammonia

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO) has been a promising material in sensing applications. However, rGO-based sensors have very high recovery time at room temperature (RT). Therefore, various materials combination needs to explored to address this issue. We have developed chemiresistive sensor based on a composite of Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and rGO for detection of ammonia (NH3). To prepare more oxidized graphene oxide (GO), peroxidation of graphite oxide (PGO) was used from graphite by following Improved Hummer’s Method (IHM). Due to PGO, synthesized rGO was more conductive and high charge capacity. Synthesized PMMA/rGO composite was drop cast on fabricated interdigitated copper electrodes. Various characterization tools were used for materials confirmation. The chemiresistive sensor based on PMMA/rGO exhibited very good sensing behaviour towards NH3 analytes. The range of detection was 1–10 ppm with very good reproducibility. It was far below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permissible Exposer Limit (OSHA PEL) of NH3. A chemiresistive sensor based on PMMA/rGO composite revealed better sensing results than a pristine rGO sensor. The response time and recovery time for rGO based sensor was 122 s and 168 s respectively at 2 ppm of NH3 whereas for PMMA/rGO based sensor it was 50 s and 75 s respectively. Moreover, the PMMA/rGO based sensor exhibited repeatability at 2 ppm for NH3 at RT. This type of PMMA/rGO sensor will be very much useful for the detection of hazardous gases in chemical laboratories and industrial areas.

Broadband-Tunable Vanadium Dioxide (VO2)-Based Linear Optical Cavity Sensor.

Sensors fabricated by using a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform provide promising solutions to issues such as size, power consumption, wavelength-specific nature of end reflectors and difficulty to detect ternary mixture. To address these limitations, we proposed and investigated a broadband-thermally tunable vanadium dioxide (VO2)-based linear optical cavity sensor model using a finite element method. The proposed structure consists of a silicon wire waveguide on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform terminated with phase-change vanadium oxide (VO2) on each side to provide light confinement. A smooth transmission modulation range of 0.8 (VO2 in the insulator state) and 0.03 (VO2 in the conductive phase state) in the 125 to 230 THz spectral region was obtained due to the of Fabry-Pérot (FP) effect. For the 3.84 μm cavity length, the presented sensor resulted in a sensitivity of 20.2 THz/RIU or 179.56 nm/RIU, which is approximately two orders of magnitude higher than its counterparts in the literature. The sensitivity of the 2D model showed direct relation with the length of the optical cavity. Moreover, the change in the resonating mode line width Δν of approximately 6.94 THz/RIU or 59.96 nm/RIU was also observed when the sensor was subjected to the change of the imaginary part k of complex refractive index (RI). This property of the sensor equips it for the sensing of aternary mixture without using any chemical surface modification. The proposed sensor haspotential applications in the areas of chemical industries, environmental monitoring and biomedical sensing.

Analysis of the Development Trend of the Salt Lake Chemical Industry Integrating Innovation Chains and Industry Chains: Based on CiteSpace knowledge graph analysis

Based on data sources from Web of Science and CNKI, this study employs CiteSpace software to conduct a bibliometric analysis of literature from 2014 to 2024 related to innovation and industry chains in the salt lake chemical industry. The objective is to gain a deep understanding of the research progress and development trends in the integration of innovation and industry chains both internationally and domestically. Through keyword emergence analysis, keyword clustering, and timeline and evolutionary analyses, this study highlights the integration of innovation and industry chains, showcasing the structure, collaboration, current research status, and trends in the future research areas of the salt lake chemical industry.

Resilience assessment of chemical industrial areas during Natech-related cascading multi-hazards

In chemical industrial areas, technological accidents triggered by natural events (Natech events) may escalate. Complex cascading multi-hazard scenarios with high uncertainties may be caused. Resilience is an essential property of a system to withstand and recover from disruptive events. The present study focuses on the change of the resilience level due to (possible) interactions between cascading hazards, chemical installations and safety barriers during the dynamic evolution of fire escalations triggered by a natural hazard (certain cascading multi-hazard scenarios). A quantitative resilience assessment method is developed to this end. The state transition of a system facing accidents in the context of resilience is explored. Moreover, the uncertainties accompanying an accident evolution are quantified using a Dynamic Bayesian Network, allowing a detailed analysis of the system performance in different time steps. System resilience is measured as a time-dependent function with respect to the change of system performance. The applicability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by a case study, and the effects of different configurations of safety barriers on improving resilience are discussed. The results are valuable to support disaster prevention within chemical industrial areas.

Assessment of Parectopa robiniella Clemens (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) Effect on Biochemical Parameters of Robinia pseudoacacia Under Conditions of an Industrial City in Steppe Ukraine

Abstract Antioxidant enzymatic activity and soluble protein content in Robinia pseudoacacia L. (black locust), invasive tree in Europe, plants were determined under feeding conditions of the caterpillars of Parectopa robiniella Clemens, 1863, invasive miner in Europe, in trees of three (I, II, III) age groups (5–10, 15–25, and 40 years). Biochemical analysis data showed significant differences between reference and experimental leaf samples in different urban ecosystems. There was no association between changes in catalase and peroxidase activity and protein content under the influence of leaf blotch miners depending on the tree age. Significant variability of proteins under P. robiniella influence was noted; the highest of its values were recorded in the leaves of ІІІ-aged trees. In most plantings (and especially in trees of age group III), an increase (1.2 to 2.7 times) in GPx activity or the absence of its changes was registered both in the ecologically favorable zone and in the locations affected by emissions from road transport and industrial enterprises. Plants of age groups I and II in the emission areas of metallurgical, pipe-rolling, and chemical industries experienced a significant decrease in GPx activity (by 20.2–44.6%) in the leaves damaged by the phytophage. In most of the plantings studied, catalase showed an increase/stability of its activity in all age groups of trees under condition of pest attack. The highest increase in САТ activity (2.1 times) was recorded in young R. pseudoacacia plants in an ecologically favorable area of the city.

Developing a barrier management framework for dealing with Natech domino effects and increasing chemical cluster resilience

A domino effect triggered by a natural event (a so-called Natech domino effect) represents a typical high-impact low-probability (HILP) event, which may lead to catastrophic consequences. The presence of safety barriers could have an impact on the effects by impeding propagation patterns and mitigating potential consequences. However, coordinating and maintaining safety measures to establish an effective barrier system against Natech domino effects is complicated. In this paper, the concept of what constitutes a safety barrier and the principles of barrier management are reviewed. Subsequently, the complex phenomenon of Natech domino effects is studied at the individual installation level, while the propagation pattern is explored at the system level. The application of safety barriers is discussed with the aim of coping with potential Natech domino effects. A systematic framework of barrier management is developed to establish and improve the barrier system in the whole cycle (design & construction, operation, accident, recovery & improvement) of a chemical industrial area. The challenges are discussed to highlight future study needs.

Comparative study of immunological biomarkers in the carpet shell clams (Ruditapes decussatus) from metal-contaminated sites in the South Lagoon of Tunis (Tunisia)

The South Lagoon of Tunis (Tunisia) is a Mediterranean lagoon adversely affected by industrial contaminants, harbour activity and untreated urban sewage. In this lagoon, the clam Ruditapes decussatus has been widely used as a biomonitor of seawater pollution through measurements of parameters related to oxidative stress and neurotoxicity. However, few studies have considered parameters of the immune system of this species in the South Lagoon of Tunis. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to evaluate several immune-related parameters in the cell-free haemolymph of carpet shell clams sampled during August and February from three polluted sites in the South Lagoon of Tunis (S1, S2 and S3) and one less polluted site as a reference site (RS) in order to identify suitable biomarkers for environmental quality assessments of this ecosystem. Concerning the immune-related parameters, seasonal factors modulated phenoloxidase, lysozyme, protease and esterase activity, with lower values measured for samples collected in August than for samples collected in February. In fact, bactericidal activity against two of the pathogenic bacteria tested and the activity of most immune-related enzymes were reduced in the cell-free haemolymph of clams collected from the most sampling sites in August compared to February one. In addition, values of abiotic parameters (temperature, salinity and pH) and metal (cadmium, copper, iron, lead and zinc) concentrations in the clams’ soft tissues, previously obtained and published by the authors, as well as the values of immune-related parameters were integrated using principal component analyses. Results indicated that the values of all measured immune-related parameters were negatively correlated with the temperature values and the variations most of these parameters highlighted that the chemical industrial area (S3) was the most impacted location within the South Lagoon of Tunis. The present study illustrates that the immune-related parameters measured in carpet shell clam cell-free haemolymph represent suitable biomarkers for environmental quality assessments because they provide effective seasonal and spatial discrimination.

Occurrence characteristics and health risk assessment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from water in residential areas around fluorine chemical industrial areas, China.

Recently, identifying the contamination status and assessing the health risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in surface water and groundwater have been of great significance. Eighteen individual PFASs were analyzed in thirty-three surface/groundwater samples during one period in a fluorine chemical park (Park A) and during two periods in Park B. The mean total concentration of 18 PFASs (∑PFASs) in Park A (9104.63ng·L-1) was significantly higher than that in the wet season (WS) (801.68ng·L-1) or DS (714.64ng·L-1) in Park B. The perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) was the predominant substance in the two parks, and the maximum concentration in groundwater exceeded 10,000ng·L-1. The contamination status in the wet season (WS) was higher than that in the dry season (DS) in Park B. The ∑PFASs in Park A presented an increasing tendency following the groundwater flow direction, whereas this rule was limited to all periods in Park B. Two relative source contributions (RSCs) of 20% or 100% allowed assessing the PFASs risk to different age groups, and the results revealed that some PFASs (4 ≤ C ≤ 7 or 9 ≤ C ≤ 12) were identified as having a low risk quotient (RQ), except for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and PFOA (C = 8). The RQmix value mainly relies on PFOA and PFOS, with a larger contribution rate of 80-90%. All assessed cases (case 1, case 2, case 3, and case 4) in all age groups revealed that infants were vulnerable to PFASs influence, followed by children, teenagers, and adults.

Zeolites and Related Materials as Catalyst Supports for Hydrocarbon Oxidation Reactions

Catalytic oxidation is a key technology for the conversion of petroleum-based feedstocks into useful chemicals (e.g., adipic acid, caprolactam, glycols, acrylates, and vinyl acetate) since this chemical transformation is always involved in synthesis processes. Millions of tons of these compounds are annually produced worldwide and find applications in all areas of chemical industries, ranging from pharmaceutical to large-scale commodities. The traditional industrial methods to produce large amounts of those compounds involve over-stoichiometric quantities of toxic inorganic reactants and homogeneous catalysts that operate at high temperature, originating large amounts of effluents, often leading to expensive downstream processes, along with nonrecovery of valuable catalysts that are loss within the reactant effluent. Due to the increasingly stringent environmental legislation nowadays, there is considerable pressure to replace these antiquate technologies, focusing on heterogeneous catalysts that can operate under mild reactions conditions, easily recovered, and reused. Parallelly, recent advances in the synthesis and characterization of metal complexes and metal clusters on support surfaces have brought new insights to catalysis and highlight ways to systematic catalysts design. This review aims to provide a comprehensive bibliographic examination over the last 10 years on the development of heterogeneous catalysts, i.e., organometallic complexes or metal clusters immobilized in distinct inorganic supports such as zeolites, hierarchical zeolites, silicas, and clays. The methodologies used to prepare and/or modify the supports are critically reviewed, as well as the methods used for the immobilization of the active species. The applications of the heterogenized catalysts are presented, and some case-studies are discussed in detail.

Urban Chemical Industrial Cluster Area Restructuring and Determinants: A Case Study of a Typical Old Chemical Industry Area Along the Yangtze River, China

Urban Chemical Industrial Cluster Area Restructuring and Determinants: A Case Study of a Typical Old Chemical Industry Area Along the Yangtze River, China

Study of Thermodynamic Modeling of Isothermal and Isobaric Binary Mixtures in Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium (VLE) of Tetrahydrofuran with Benzene (303.15 K) Cyclohexane (333.15 K), Methanol (103 kPa), and Ethanol (100 kPa)

Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is an aprotic solvent with multiple applications in diverse areas of chemical, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries with an important impact in chemical waste liquid with other solvents. In this work, 51 available VLE data, for isothermal binary mixtures of THF(1) + Benzene(2) and THF(1) + Cyclohexane(2) at 303.15 and 333.15 K, respectively, and isobaric THF(1) + Methanol(2) at 103 kPa and THF(1) + Ethanol(2) at 100 kPa were used in the development of the activity coefficient models. The quality of experimental data was checked using the Herington test. VLE binary data was correlated with models Wilson, NRTL UNIQUAC, and UNIFAC to obtain binary parameters and activity coefficients. The best thermodynamic consistency when conducting the Herington test for the VLE data was found for the THF(1) +Cyclohexane(2) isothermal system and THF(1) + Ethanol(2) isobaric system. The UNIQUAC model for isothermal systems THF(1) + Benzene(2) and THF(1) + Cyclohexane(2), the NRTL model for the isobaric system THF(1) + Methanol(2), and the UNIQUAC model for THF(1) + Ethanol(2) perform better than the other models.

Catalytic Reductive Alcohol Etherifications with Carbonyl-Based Compounds or CO2 and Related Transformations for the Synthesis of Ether Derivatives.

Ether derivatives have myriad applications in several areas of chemical industry and academia. Hence, the development of more effective and sustainable protocols for their production is highly desired. Among the different methodologies reported for ether synthesis, catalytic reductive alcohol etherifications with carbonyl‐based moieties (aldehydes/ketones and carboxylic acid derivatives) have emerged in the last years as a potential tool. These processes constitute appealing routes for the selective production of both symmetrical and asymmetrical ethers (including O‐heterocycles) with an increased molecular complexity. Likewise, ester‐to‐ether catalytic reductions and hydrogenative alcohol etherifications with CO2 to dialkoxymethanes and other acetals, albeit in less extent, have undergone important advances, too. In this Review, an update of the recent progresses in the area of catalytic reductive alcohol etherifications using carbonyl‐based compounds and CO2 have been described with a special focus on organic synthetic applications and catalyst design. Complementarily, recent progress made in catalytic acetal/ketal‐to‐ether or ester‐to‐ether reductions and other related transformations have been also summarized.

Occurrence of antibiotic resistome in farmland soils near phosphorus chemical industrial area

Heavy metal pollution of soil surrounding phosphorus chemical industry has been a long-concerned problem; however, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in farmland soils in its vicinity remains unexplored. In this study, variations of heavy metals, ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and microbiome in surface soils of farmland along the prevailing downwind direction of a phosphorus chemical industrial zone were investigated. Cadmium (Cd) contents in soils close to the industrial zone (≤ 500 m away) were statistically higher than those at greater distances (1000 to 4000 m). A comparable ARG diversity was observed across soils, while the relative abundance of ARGs decreased markedly with increasing distance in the range of 1000 m. The soil in closest proximity to the industrial zone (20 m away) exhibited divergent compositions of ARGs, MGEs, and bacterial community from the other soils at farther locations (500 to 4000 m away). Variation partitioning analysis revealed that Cd and MGEs levels were the primary factors controlling ARG distribution. Structural equation modeling further indicated that the direct effect of Cd on ARG abundance was stronger than its indirect effect via affecting MGEs and microbiome. The observed prevalence of ARGs in farmland soils highlights the necessity of including resistome in the framework for environmental risk assessment of phosphorus chemical manufacturing.

Stationary monitoring and source apportionment of VOCs in a chemical industrial park by combining rapid direct-inlet MSs with a GC-FID/MS

Fast and comprehensive monitoring of VOCs, required for air quality management in large-scale chemical industrial parks in China, cannot be accomplished by stationary measurements using conventional GC-FID or GC–MS alone due to their low temporal resolutions and limited detectable ranges. Novel direct-inlet mass spectrometry (DI-MS) has been widely applied for real-time monitoring of VOCs. To verify its applicability in industrial settings, high mass-resolution proton-transfer-reaction time-of-flight MS (HMR-PTR-TOFMS), single-photon ionization time-of-flight MS (SPI-TOFMS), together with online GC-FID/MS were simultaneously deployed at the boundary of one of the largest chemical industrial parks in eastern China. Aromatics, acetonitrile, acetic acid, ethyl acetate, aliphatic hydrocarbons, 1,2-dichloroethane, and acetone were detected as the main pollutants. These three instruments detected 12 common species, among which ethyl acetate, toluene, C8-aromatics, and methyl ethyl ketone showed similar time series and levels. Acetone, benzene, chlorobenzene, styrene, and C9-aromatics showed only similar time series. The HMR-PTR-TOFMS uniquely detected 14 species, mainly oxidized VOCs, nitriles, and amines, which greatly helps acknowledge the pollutants in the chemical industrial area. Positive matrix factorization, using the HMR-PTR-TOFMS and GC-FID/MS datasets, was used to identify eight sources. Four of the identified sources were mainly detected by the HMR-PTR-TOFMS, with pollutants mainly comprised of nitriles, amines, carbonyls, and organic acids, most of which were hazardous and/or odorous. These four sources accounted for 41.5% and 33.2% of the total VOCs and ozone formation potential, respectively. The complementary nature of GC-FID/MS and HMR-PTR-TOFMS in VOC source apportionment in industrial settings is of great practical use for advanced VOCs abatement. Thus, the high mass resolution DI-MSs are suggested to be a supplementary measurement for fence-line monitoring. Although with a relatively short period attempt, this study has wide implications for the fence-line stationary observational modes and source apportion methods combining with traditional observations.

Future directions of catalytic chemistry

Abstract The philosophy of sustainable development is prevailing worldwide, and will probably bring about a society revolution trend in the future. Catalytic chemistry will play a crucial role in sustainable economic development since at least a catalytic process is involved in almost all-important areas of chemical industry, such as synthesis of chemicals and materials, energy production and conversion as well as pollution abatement and environmental protection. In this paper, we attempt to summarize three common critical directions for catalysis research, in order to meet future needs for sustainable economic development. (i) The discovery of high-performance catalysts will evolve from trial-and-error to rational design. This is due to the maturing theory-experiment joint research schemes and the increasing abilities to explore dynamic nature of catalysts under reaction conditions. (ii) The catalysis for the transition of energy and chemicals generation from oil and coal to more renewable sources will be highly pursued. (iii) The catalysis for cleaner chemical processes will be another active research direction. In Sections “Sustainable catalysis for renewable fuels and chemicals” and “Ecologically clean catalytic process”, some important examples are discussed especially.

Methodology for quantitative risk analysis of domino effects triggered by flood

Flood events impose great distress on chemical industrial areas, since they may cause Natech accidents involving multiple units. Furthermore, escalation vectors exerted by major accidents can trigger knock-on events, so-called domino effects, causing very severe consequences. In the present study, a methodology is proposed to include domino effects triggered by floods in a quantitative risk assessment, by addressing the frequency assessment of flood-induced domino scenarios. A comprehensive procedure is developed, combining the fragility model for unit damage due to floods, probability estimation for domino escalation, and combinatorial analysis for overall scenarios. Moreover, the flow interference due to the layout of chemical industrial areas is explored to calculate the damage probability more accurately. The methodology has been demonstrated by a case study, the changes in risk indexes and damage zones due to Natech domino effects are discussed. The results show that the overall risk significantly increases with respect to conventional scenarios when considering flood-induced Natech events and domino effects, evidencing the importance of risk analysis of Natech-related domino effects. Finally, some prevention measures have been proposed for chemical industrial areas to make them more resilient and safer when it comes to floods.

Application of a Solid Ceramic Membrane for Monitoring Volatile Organic Compounds in Industrial Wastewater.

A large quantity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be released into water environments from oil spills and chemical exposure accidents. A recently developed solid ceramic dosimeter (SCD) could be used for long-term measuring of low VOCs concentrations in water. However, calibration and field testing of these SCDs have thus been far insufficient to apply for VOCs monitoring in a water environment in a chemical industrial area. We conducted laboratory calibration experiments and stability tests of the SCD. The mass accumulation of 14 target VOCs from 2 to 100 μg/L was increased linearly with time in the sampler. The absorption rate of the VOCs was related to Henry’s law constant. The average diffusion coefficient of the 14 VOCs in the SCD wall was 1.02 × 10−9 m2/s. The SCD was utilized in a petrochemical plant complex in South Korea with an industrial wastewater reservoir. After a total of 7 days of deployment, chloroform, ethylbenzene, and toluene were detected by both passive sampling and grab sampling at the same VOC concentrations.

A Systematic Literature Review on Safety Research Related to Chemical Industrial Parks

The increasing demand for chemical products has driven the construction and development of chemical industrial areas, or so-called ‘chemical industrial parks’ (CIPs), but this has intrinsically raised the risk of major accidents. Therefore, it is significant and urgent to summarize the state of art and research needs in the field of CIP safety. In this paper, a keyword co-occurrence analysis of 116 scientific articles was conducted to support the classification of research topics in this field, then an overview of those research topics was presented to investigate the evolution of safety research with respect to CIPs. Specifically, the way that safety assessments are conducted, as well as how safety management and safety technology in such areas are classified and investigated, followed by detailed descriptions of representative methods and their contributions to CIP safety, are discussed. An integrated safety framework for CIPs is proposed to organize safety approaches and measures systematically. Based on the classification and analysis of studies on management, assessment, and technology related to CIP safety, the research trends and future directions and challenges are discussed and outlined. Those results are useful for improving theoretical method and industrial strategies, and can advance the safety and sustainability development of CIPs.

Confined multiphase swirled flows in chemical engineering

Abstract Exploration of confined swirled flows in the former USSR and present-day Russia has a long history and is presented by numerous publications, mostly written in Russian. The obtained results have been put to practical use in different areas of chemical, energy, and processing industries. In view of the process intensification concept, such characteristics of confined swirled flows may be considered unique: high centrifugal gravity, elongation of trajectories, the presence of internal separation zones, energy separation phenomena, and efficient mass/heat transfer in the absence of any moving parts. For instance, high gravity provides an excellent opportunity for multiphase flow stabilization, preventing the appearance of nonuniformities and stability loss, while enhancement of various driving forces acting on the reaction medium takes place. This review is devoted to outlining the main research trends and to discuss the most essential practical implementations in the subject matter done up until now. It is not foreseen to embrace the whole area of swirled flow investigations in the world, but only covers most of the significant ideas and applications contributed in by former Soviet and Russian scientists and engineers. Shortcomings and difficulties of using swirled flows are also briefly discussed.