Raffinate Research Articles

Techno-functionality of jack bean (Canavalia ensiformis) protein concentrate: a comparative study with soy and pea proteins.

With the growing human awareness of the environmental and animal stress caused by the meat industry, the consumption of plant-based products has expanded. Plant proteins have gained market prominence due to their sustainable origin, economic value and health benefits. Well-established plant proteins in the market, such as those of soy and pea, have various applications as ingredients in the food industry. However, given the wide variety of protein sources, it is necessary to conduct studies on the chemical and techno-functional characterization of other raw materials to further diversify their properties. In this context, the present study introduces jack bean protein concentrate (JBPC) as a potential alternative to proteins already established in the market. Techno-functional properties such as surface hydrophobicity, solubility, zeta potential, water- and oil-holding capacity, foam capacity and stability, emulsion stability and gel formation and rheology were analyzed. The protein content obtained from the extraction of the JBPC was 73 g (100 g)-1 on a dry weight basis, with an extraction yield of approximately 10% (w/w). Least gelation concentration for JBPC was 20%. JBPC exhibited a predominantly hydrophobic nature, with good oil retention capacity and emulsion and foam stabilization properties. The structure of JBPC was more linear, stable and rigid, which primarily influenced gel stiffness. Based on the study of techno-functional properties, JBPC proved to be an excellent alternative to soy protein isolate and pea protein concentrate in various applications, with potential for becoming an innovative ingredient in the food industry. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

Sedimentary Characteristics of Shallow Water Delta: A Case Study from the Paleogene Funing Formation in the Haian Sag of the Subei Basin, China

Haian Depression is one of the key areas for oil and gas resource replacement in Jiangsu Oilfield. Since the 13th cycle of the Five Year Plan, with the continuous improvement in the exploration level of the Taizhou Formation (K2t), the difficulty of tapping potential has gradually increased. It is urgent to change our thinking and expand new exploration layers. From the perspective of oil and gas display frequency in different layers of the Haian Depression, except for K2t, the oil and gas systems with the Fusan Member (E1f3) as the main reservoir have good oil and gas display frequency, demonstrating great exploration potential. This study of sedimentary characteristics is the basis of analyzing the sedimentary environment and lithofacies paleogeographic conditions and is of great significance for determining the distribution range of subtle oil and gas reservoirs. Based on this understanding, this study was specially established to systematically analyze the logging curves of forty-three wells in the research area, combined with core observations of eighteen coring wells and the analysis of eight seismic profiles. The results show that the low slope, warm and humid climate, sufficient provenance, and frequent lake level rise and fall cycles during the deposition period of the E1f3 member of the Haian Sag provide a favorable depositional background for the development of shallow water delta in the study area. There are many gullies in the research area, mainly consisting of U-shaped gullies and W-shaped gullies. Slope breaks are mainly affected by structural factors leading to fractures, and the types are mostly fault terrbreakslope breaks. In the study area, the shallow water delta deposits during the deposition period of the four key sand groups in the Fu3 Formation are dominated by the shallow water delta front and shallow water prodelta. The shallow water delta plain subfacies are not significantly developed because of erosion. The sand bodies are mainly distributed in the Sunjiawa Subdepression, and the Fuan Subdepression in the north of the depression, and the sand bodies in the plane show the filling characteristics of the strip. Based on the above research, a sedimentary model of shallow water delta during the E1f3 section of the Haian Depression was established, providing a geological basis for the design of exploration and development plans for hidden oil and gas reservoirs in the next step.

Nutritional and technological potential of umbu-caja and soursop co-product flours.

Umbu-caja and soursop from the Northeast region of Brazil are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds and are widely processed by the fruit agroindustry. However, there is a lack of research examining the composition and nutritional/technological potential of these co-product fruits. The present study evaluated the nutritional and technological characteristics of umbu-caja and soursop co-product flours (UCF and SCF, respectively), in addition to cytotoxicity in healthy cells. The results demonstrated that they are rich in dietary fiber (approximately 53%), low in protein (approximately 8.0%), and have minimal moisture content (<15%). The mineral composition of the flours exhibited a notable presence of copper, iron, zinc, manganese, and boron. The evaluation of antioxidant capacity using the DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP methods demonstrated the presence of antioxidants that resisted processing, indicated by a high antioxidant capacity. Furthermore, the flours were found to contain phenolic compounds, predominantly rutin (UCF) and p-coumaric acid (SCF). The cytotoxicity test demonstrated that both co-product flours did not exert detrimental effects on healthy cells according to the MTT assay. The technological analyses highlighted low pH values (2.38 and 3.61 for UCF and SCF, respectively), which is favorable for a greater shelf life and suggests applications in fermented products. In addition, the flours have good water and oil holding capacity and low foaming, and they could be incorporated into food products that require these properties. The results demonstrated promising qualities of the UCF and SCF for incorporation into the human diet and product development, mainly due to their high fiber content, antioxidant capacity and low cytotoxicity.

Development of Lubricants Using Re-Refined Base Stocks—An Effort toward Circular Economy

&lt;div&gt;Re-refining of used lubricating oil is an economically attractive and effective recycling method that contributes significantly to resource conservation and environmental protection. The effective re-refining process of used lubricating oil undergoes thorough purification to remove contaminants and to produce high yield and good quality base oil suitable for reuse in lubricant formulation. Used lubricating oils have various hazardous materials, these can be processed with safe and efficient methods required to recover high-quality base oil products. Typically, used lubricating oil is a mixture of various types of additives, base oils, and viscometric grades as per the different types automotive and industrial applications. Re-refined base oils can be re-used to produce lubricants such as industrial and automotive lubricants like passenger car motor oils, transmission fluids, hydraulic oils, and gear oils. API classified base oils into two categories namely mineral base oils API Group I–III and synthetic base oils Group IV–V. Re-refined base oils meeting API Group I and II quality standards are mostly produced by re-refiners.&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div&gt;In this article, the author has evaluated lubricating oils: gear oil meeting API GL4 specifications based on 25% re-refined base oil to assess the performance of these lubricants in comparison to conventional base oil-based lubricants. This study includes physicochemical tests, lab performance tests (rust, corrosion, shear stability, and oxidation), and tribological performance tests, i.e., weld load, wear scar diameter, and friction performance by MTM was also evaluated. Test results show similar performance in terms of low temperature, oxidation, and friction performance in 25% re-refined base oil-based lubricant with respect to conventional base oil-based products.&lt;figure&gt; &lt;div&gt;&lt;img/&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;/figure&gt; &lt;/div&gt;

Facile preparation of soybean protein-based oil-resistant paper for food packaging

The use of plastic packaging is harmful to the environment. Due to the advantages of degradability, renewability, and safety of paper packaging materials, replacing plastic with paper has received much attention. However, the poor oil resistance of traditional paper constrains its application. In this research, oil-resistant agent is prepared using soy protein isolate and montmorillonite through physical blending. This oil-resistant agent has advantages of low cost and food safety. Subsequently, food packaging oil-proof paper is obtained by coating the above-mentioned coating on paper. This oil-proof paper has good heat resistance, oil resistance (kit rating is 8/12) and mechanical properties. In addition, it is found that the optimal storage environment for the oil-proof paper. This study provides a feasible method for producing, biodegradable, and eco-friendly food packaging oil-proof paper.

The Effectiveness of Palm Oil Policies in Nigeria: An Experience from Malaysian Palm Oil Policies

The tropical forest of West Africa is initially the first area where the oil palm was discovered before the 14th century. In particular, Nigeria was one of the places where this fruit was uncovered. Palm oil is ranked as the major vegetable oil in the world. In the 1960s, Nigeria was rated as the largest palm oil-producing and exporting country globally. However, the production was completely unsuccessful as a result of the government’s failure to formulate good policies, while the local consumption increases. Oil palm production in Malaysia became a contributing sector to the national economy. It alleviates poverty, provides employment, allocates resources, generates incomes, and leads to economic development. Due to good and sustainable palm oil policies in this sector, Malaysia achieved global recognition. This paper’s objective is to disclose the ineffective policies on palm oil in Nigeria and its sustainability in Malaysia. This paper is a qualitative design, it used primary and secondary methods. The primary method is based on a semi-structured interview, while the secondary method is based on documents. It adopted inductive thematic analysis for analysing interview data with the help of Atlas ti. This paper’s finding is the unsuccessful palm oil policies in Nigeria and the sustainable palm oil policies in Malaysia.In conclusion, there is a need for Nigeria, to learn from the Malaysian experience.

Superhydrophobic, Conductive and Magnetic Sponge for High Performance Oil-water Separation and Recycled Oil Absorption

Nowadays, the frequent occurrence of oil spills at sea has caused serious pollution to the ecosystem and has led to a gradual decrease in marine resources. Conventional adsorbent materials have difficulty absorbing high-viscosity oils and separating oil from water, and recycling still has great challenges. We developed a novel superhydrophobic, magnetic, and photo-thermal sponge (SMPS) with a simple preparation method, which is composed of polyurethane (PU) sponge, polydopamine (PDA), acidified carbon nanotubes (ACNTs), ferric tetroxide (Fe3O4), and polydimethylsilane (PDMS), modified by self-polymerization, ultrasonication, and soaking. The modification of ACNTs, Fe3O4, and PDMS further enhances the electrical conductivity, magnetism, photo-thermal effect, and superhydrophobicity of the PU sponge. The SMPS (PU/PDA/ACNTs-Fe3O4/PDMS) can reach a water contact angle of 168.32°, which can still be maintained at 150° in harsh environments, and it has a good oil adsorption capacity (up to 31.06g/g) and an oil-water separation efficiency of 96%. In addition, the SMPS has an excellent photo-thermal effect (surface temperature up to 204.9 ℃) for better adsorption of high-viscosity oils. It can also be used for oil adsorption and recycling in local areas through its own magnetism. This paper has studied PU sponges with superhydrophobic, magnetic, and photo-thermal performance, which provides a new research idea for large-scale, regional cleaning and recycling of marine high-viscosity oil pollution.

Utilization of Used Cooking Oil from Street Vendor: Recycle and Anti-Oxidant Enrichment with Moringa oleifera leaves

Used cooking oil (UCO) is abundant in Indonesia because of lifestyle of people. Especially UCO from street vendors had very low quality based on its Free Fatty Acid (FFA) content that reached 5.074%. When UCO was deposed into drainage, it would pollute the environment. Low grade UCO from street vendors contained Unsaturated-Fatty-Acid, Saturated-Fatty-Acid, and other hydrocarbons. Recycling UCO to replace edible oil considered more desirable rather than biodiesel since higher added value. FFA was the most undesired compound affecting cooking oil quality. FFA reducing with diluted 0.1 M NaOH 10% v/v could reduce FFA from 5.07% to 0.53%. Bleaching earth (BE) content mostly Si, Nb, Al, Ca and Na was safe to treat UCO for edible cooking oil. BE played cleaning UCO but absorbed the oil 17%. ANOVA analysis for BE and Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) treatment fits with Reduced Quadratic model. Based on the ANOVA, the model showed that the decrease of FFA was determined significantly by BE amount and temperature with P-values less than 0.05. Optimization for BE treatment was done using Response Surface Method to find out the lowest FFA. And based on the simulation, it was obtained 0.2854% while the experimental results showed 0.2908%. Furthermore, BE combined with Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) that known anti-oxidant source was used to treat UCO. UCO originally content stronger anti-oxidant activity rather fresh palm oil with IC50 62.12 and 83.03 mg/kg, respectively. Stronger anti-oxidant in UCO allegedly derived from fried foods. Treatment 10% BE and 5% MOL considered optimal for good appearance edible oil, little yellow greenish. Moreover, GC/MS analysis showed improvement active compounds in treated UCO with 5, 7.5 and 10 g MOL in 150 ml UCO with 24.36%, 30.32% and 37.76% active compounds, respectively. Moreover, anti-oxidant measured with IC50 the treated UCO were 43.18, 42.33 and 41.78 mg/kg, respectively. Increasing the number of MOL did not significantly increase the anti-oxidant activity. Anti-oxidant detected in treated UCO identified such as ethyl acridine, indolizine derivatives, cyclotrisiloxane-hexamethyl, benzimidazoles, and Fumaric acid. Based on the results, UCO recycling is applicable for a community, save expenses and strengthen food security and food sovereign. Further thought for its implementation is to design an integrated system from collecting UCO in a reservoir tank equipped with filter, recycling process and finally product tank at mini plant scale. Keywords: Anti-oxidant enrichment, bleaching earth, edible treated UCO, Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) , UCO recycle

Production Law of Shielding Oil in Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs: A Case Study of Northwest Oilfield, China

Multi-scale fractures in Northwest Oilfield are extremely developed. Fractures in both oil flow channels and water channels lead to the phenomenon of water channeling in the later stages of reservoir development, which may be affected by the bottom water cone. Gel plugging agents are widely used in the treatment of this phenomenon because of their low cost and high-water plugging efficiency. However, because there is often residual oil in small-scale fractures, the pressure law of different grades of differential fractures on gel is not clear, thus leading to low gel application efficiency and low oil recovery. There is still a lack of effective means through which to understand the regularity of shielding the remaining oil with gel strength and fractures of different grades. In this study, we conducted a novel analysis of the law of shielding oil production in fractured reservoirs. The gelling and rheological properties of anti-temperature gels (ATGs) with different strengths were studied. The plugging rate of oil phase was 96.39%, and that of water phase was 25.37%. ATG showed good oil–water selectivity. The influences of different grades of differential fractures on the production law of shielding the remaining oil were also studied, as well as the corresponding influence law chart. When the gel strength was in the range of 2.0–28.1 Pa and the fracture grade difference was 5–10, the recovery ratio was increased by 10.6–24%. The enhanced oil recovery can be quantitatively predicted by the scale of reservoir fractures and the strength of gel used. It has a certain guiding role for the field application of gel to efficiently shield residual oil in differential fractures.

Geological characteristics and seismic identification of reservoirs in the Colorado Basin off the Atlantic coast of Argentina

Abstract The Colorado Basin is a hot exploration frontier basin conjugated with the southwest coast of Africa which has undergone four evolutionary stages: Carboniferous-Jurassic pre-rift, Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rift, Late Cretaceous transition and passive marginal drift since Paleocene. Major oil and gas discoveries have been made in the conjugated Orange Basin in recent years, including the Graff field and Venus field discovered in 2022 with recoverable reserves of 550 Mboe and 2.3 Bboe, respectively. This indicates that the basin has good oil and gas exploration potential. Based on the analysis of drilling data and seismic data, it is concluded that the basin has a mature oil-gas generation system and better reservoir conditions. The pre-rift and syn-rift source rocks are confirmed by 5 Wells with oil and gas shows in the shallow water shelf, and all have entered the hydrocarbon generation threshold. Reservoir distribution and trap-sealing conditions have become key factors in oil and gas exploration. this paper describes the reservoir characteristics in the drilling data, and extrapolates the seismic reflection characteristics of the same strata, and predicts the reservoir distribution in the unexplored area of the basin. The reservoir lithology and sedimentary facies are analyzed based on the gamma logging curves. Reservoir identification and reasonable prediction on seismic profile are mainly determined by seismic reflection amplitude and horizon calibration. The basin has three sets of reservoirs, namely, pre-rift Permian underwater fan sandstone, Lower Cretaceous alluvial fan sandstone of syn-rift period and Upper Cretaceous Colorado Formation shallow marine sandstone of transitional period. Among them, Colorado Formation sandstone reservoir has the best physical property conditions, with a maximum porosity of 32% and a thickness of 1000m. The Cretaceous and Paleogene turbidite sandstone of slope fan facies are potential reservoir in the deep waters, which mainly form litho-stratigraphic traps in the continental slope.

Application of Seismic Sedimentology in Identifying Submarine Fan Bodies

Abstract The research area is located in the Yenisai Hatanga Basin of Russia, which is a transitional facies sedimentary rock between sea and land. Oil and gas are mostly concentrated in turbidite sand bodies of the low level domain submarine fans of Lower hutt formation in the Lower Cretaceous, and locally developed in the slope fan sand bodies of the high postion domain. which is good oil and gas reservoir, however, due to limitations of geological research conditions and data, the sedimentary characteristics and planar distribution of the submarine fan sand bodies are not clear in research area. This article conducts research on the identification and plane distribution prediction of submarine fan bodies using seismic sedimentology methods, By combining sequence stratigraphy, seismic profile, and RGB fusion technology, the sand bodies of submarine fans are analyzed. Through the correlation analysis of seismic profiles and seismic facies, corresponding relationship between sedimentary microfacies and typical seismic wave patterns is established. The study shows that the study area mainly develops continental shelf slope facies, submarine fans, and shallow to semi deep marine facies. Sediments formed a turbidite submarine fan composed of sandstone siltstone mudstone in the ancient trough. There are 5 sand groups developed in the Hutt Formation under the main target layer in the study area. Among them, the IV oil group is the main oil-bearing layer. The 0, Ⅰ, and Ⅱ sand groups have limited distribution and poor sand body connectivity. The Ⅲ sand group is mainly developed in the study area. In the north, it is distributed in the middle of the study area on the plane. The IV sand group is widely developed and distributed in the middle of the study area on the plane. Seismic sedimentology can provide technical support for prediction research of reservoirs.

Physicochemical, structural, and biological properties of novel water-soluble polysaccharide derived from the Tunisian Hammada scoparia plant and its application on beef meat preservation

This work aims to characterize a novel water-soluble polysaccharide from Hammada scoparia leaves named PSP. The Infrared (FT-IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra confirmed the presence of different polysaccharide functional bands. The High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis identified a heteropolysaccharide composed of two monosaccharides. A semi-crystalline structure of PSP was proved using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis. The evaluation of the antioxidant activity revealed an interesting potential to prevent oxidative stress.Additionally, PSP showed interesting functional propreties such as good oil and water retention abilities, higher foaming stability, and higher emulsifying capacity and stability. However, the effect of PSP on the oxidation of lipids in the ground beef meat was established during nine days at 4 °C. Obtained data revealed a significant decrease in malondialdehyde levels, inhibition of metmyoglobin (MetMb) accumulation, and significant inhibition of microbial growth compared with the control sample during storage. Moreover, incorporating PSP in minced meat proved color pH and moisture stability. Overall, the findings in the present study confirmed that PSP could be considered a natural bioactive polymer for food applications.

Research and Application of Compound Movable Gel Plugging Agent Suitable for Gasi Oilfield

Abstract In order to meet the water plugging requirements of high salinity reservoirs at different temperatures, we developed three kinds of movable gel plugging and regulating agent by using salt resistant polymer as the main agent, organic chromium and organic aldehyde as the cross-linking agent, supplemented by organic stabilizers and reinforcing agents. Namely, low, medium and high-temperature and high-salinity composite movable gel plugging and regulating agent, and the formulas are 0.4% YG-100 + 0.1% YG-107,0.4% YG-100 + 0.15% YG-107+0.8% YG-103,0.4% YG-100+0.15% YG-107+0.8% YG-103 respectively. The gelling performance, thermal stability and salt resistance of the composite movable gel are evaluated. The results showed the suitable temperature is 40~126 °C, and the salinity of formation water is 260000mg/L. Seven well groups were implemented on site, and the oil pressure in the water wells generally increased. Water channeling was controlled to a certain extent, and the comprehensive water content decreased from 90.5% to 85.1%, a decrease of 5.4%. The cumulative increase in oil production was 3164 tons, and a good oil increase effect was observed.

تصميم نظام غمر المياه لحقل الدفا النفطي

Currently, water-flooding is responsible for a big portion of world oil production. The vertical sweep efficiency and the areal coverage each of these requires careful sampling to get represented reservoir rock and fluid properties measures of reservoir heterogeneity, Economically, a pilot is a desirable tool for studying oil recovery performance on reservoir sample and then scaled up to yield the performance to be expected from field performance. Defa field was produced since 1968 with good oil flow rate reaching 200,000 BOPD but during the life of the field, the production decreased to 50,000 BOPD in 2001. So, this study was conducted to increase oil production by add some energy to the reservoir to increase average reservoir pressure and try to maintain it to initial pressure and to increase displacement and sweep efficiency. The water flooding design was implemented in sector model in the Defa field using five spots pattern. The study was performed by using Excel and Water Drive software to achieve a good water flooding design. When comparing the results obtained from two calculation methods, the minimum error was equal 0.03 percent and the maximum error was around 12 percent. So, the results were acceptable and the process was recommended to the Defa-field. Keywords: Water flooding; Software; Fractional Flow, Break through.

Superhydrophobic/superoleophilic polyurethane /reduced graphene oxide/ sponge for efficient oil-water separation and photothermal remediation

Due to the rapid development of global industrialization, the frequent occurrence of organic matter leakage and oil leakage accidents has led to increasingly serious environmental pollution. Therefore, this paper has proposed a facile and affordable method for creating oil water separation materials, and successful creating a super hydrophobic/super oleophilic functional porous polyurethane sponge modified by reduced graphene oxide and polydopamine (PDA-rGO-PU). Dopamine undergoes a self-polymerization event that creates polydopamine, which is subsequently coated on a polyurethane framework to create a sponge structure with several active sites. The surface of the modified sponge structure was coated with graphene oxide by a simple drop-coating method, and graphene oxide coated on the surface of polydopamine was reduced to create the superhydrophobic/superoleophilic material. The PDA-rGO-PU demonstrated strong anti-adhesion properties and a high oil-water separation efficiency of 99.8 % while having high water contact angles of 155 ° ± 3 ° and oil contact angles (OCA) of 0 °. It has a strong ability to adsorb various oils and organic solvents, the excellent photothermal effect allows PDA-rGO-PU to raise temperature by 37.9 % in the presence of light. PDA-rGO-PU has good continuous oil sorption performance after installing the pump. When under simulated lighting conditions, the sorption time of modified sponge on crude oil was shortened by 2.3 times.

Development of high oleic Spanish bunch groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) through marker-assisted backcrossing

ABSTRACT Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oilseed crop. A specific type of groundnut, known as high-oleate groundnut, is particularly sought-after for its antioxidant properties and benefits to human health due to its favorable fatty acid profile. To breed high-oleic acid varieties of groundnut, two elite varieties of Tamil Nadu, India, TMVGn 13 and GJG 33, were hybridized with a high-oleic groundnut donor released in India, Girnar 4. The resulting progenies were then backcrossed with their recurrent parents for two generations, using marker-assisted backcross selection. Six progenies in the TMVGn 13 × Girnar 4 cross and nine progenies in the GJG 33 × Girnar 4 cross were identified as homozygous mutants for ahFAD2A and ahFAD2B genes, respectively. Three lines with high oleic acid content (>70%), good oil content (48–50%), and pod yield per plant were selected from these progenies. Following multi-location and adaptive research yield trials, these lines may be released as high-oleic acid varieties.

Development and characterization of tilapia skin collagen-inulin oleogel as the potential fat substitute in beef patty formulations

The effects of inulin addition, olive oil content, and ultrasonic treatment on the rheological, texture, and structural properties of collagen-based oleogels were investigated in this study. Furthermore, the fat substitution ability of the oleogel in low-fat beef patties was evaluated. Initially, a uniform and dense network cross-linked structure was found when the ratio of collagen to inulin complex was 1:5. The oleogel sample exhibited good stability and oil binding ability with an additional amount of 50 % olive oil. Ultrasonic treatment improved the stability of the oleogel structure in all samples. Additionally, the addition of inulin reduced cooking loss in beef patties. Beef patties prepared at a 50 % fat substitution level showed physical properties that were the least different from those of pure adipose tissue (control group), which could significantly reduce the content of saturated fatty acids and improve the storage stability of beef patties. This study provided guidance for the application of collagen-inulin oleogel in food processing.

A superhydrophobic PVDF-based membrane containing Metal-organic framework for efficient Oil-water separation

The discharge of oily wastewater has caused heavy burden to the environment, so it is necessary to solve this problem. Membrane separation, as a simple and efficient separation technology, has attracted widespread attentions in the field of oil–water separation. In this work, a superhydrophobic PVDF-based membrane containing MOFs with small size (ZJU-64-CH3-S) was prepared. ZJU-64-CH3-S with different amounts (200 mg, 400 mg and 600 mg) were added into PVDF to obtain ZJU-64-CH3-S/PVDF membranes, which named as M1, M2 and M3. They displayed ideal hydrophobicity according to the large water contact angle (about 130°). And composite membranes showed good oil adsorption and excellent oil–water separation efficiency. In particularly, the oil flux of M2 reached to 333.33 L/(m2·h) and its oil–water separation efficiency was as high as 99 %. The composite membrane was expected to be used in the field of oil–water separation.

The Influence of Oil and Thermal Aging on the Sealing Characteristics of NBR Seals.

Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) is widely used as a sealing material due to its excellent mechanical properties and good oil resistance. However, when using NBR material, the seal structure is unable to avoid the negative effects of rubber aging. Hence, the influence of oil and thermal aging on the characteristics of NBR seals was studied by coupling the mechanical behavioral changes with the tribological behavioral changes of NBR in oil and the thermal environment. For this paper, aging testing and compression testing of NBR were carried out. Additionally, friction testing between friction pairs under different aging times was carried out. The surface morphology of the NBR working surface under different aging conditions was also observed. Finally, coefficients of different test conditions were introduced into the finite element model of NBR seals. It can be seen from the results that the elastic modulus increased with the increase in aging time in the thermal oxidative aging testing. The elastic modulus after 7 days of thermal oxidative aging increased by 135.45% compared to the unaged case, and the elastic modulus after 7 days of oil aging increased by 15.03% compared to the unaged case. The compression set rate of NBR increased significantly with the increase in aging time and temperature. The coefficient of friction (COF) between friction pairs increased first and then decreased with the increase in aging time. The maximum contact pressure decreased by 2.43% between the shaft and sealing ring and decreased by 4.01% between the O-ring and groove. The proportion of the effective sealing area decreased by 3.05% between the shaft and sealing ring and decreased by 6.11% between the O-ring and groove. Furthermore, the sealing characteristics between the O-ring and groove were better than those between the shaft and sealing ring.

Synthesis, characterization and properties of vinyl-terminated poly[dimethylsiloxane-co-methyl(phenyl)siloxane]

Phenyl-containing polysiloxanes have better thermal stability, low-temperature flexibility, and room-temperature damping performance than polydimethylsiloxanes. Poly [dimethylsiloxane-co-methyl (phenyl)siloxane] and poly (dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane) were synthesized through a bulk copolymerization of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and methylphenylcyclosiloxane mixture or octaphenylcyclotetrasiloxane, and the structure and properties of the copolysiloxanes were comparatively studied. The phenyl content in poly [dimethylsiloxane-co-methyl (phenyl)siloxane] can be as high as 50 mol%. With the increment of the phenyl content, the thermal stability of the copolysiloxanes is dramatically improved as evaluated by thermal gravimetric analysis. At a given phenyl content, poly [dimethylsiloxane-co-methyl (phenyl)siloxane] has higher thermal stability than poly (dimethylsiloxane-co-diphenylsiloxane). The former is more difficult to crystalline at low temperatures and has lower room temperature viscosity than the latter as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and rotational rheometer. The copolysiloxanes is mixed with hydrogen-containing polysiloxane and silica, and vulcanized at elevated temperature to get copolysiloxane composites with good damping properties, oil resistance, and low-temperature resistance. This study not only enriches the fundamental academic research on functional polysiloxanes, but also provides useful technical references for practical applications of phenyl silicone rubber.