Liquid Recovery Research Articles

Study on converting flare gas into usable energy at the SKIKDA gas refinery

This study investigates innovative technologies aimed at converting flare gas into valuable energy resources, with a specific focus on reducing flare gas emissions at the Skikda gas refinery. Various technologies and approaches are explored, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), and gas-to-liquid (GTL) technologies, all of which demonstrate potential for minimizing gas flaring in areas lacking traditional infrastructure. Of these methods, electricity generation through gas turbines stands out as the most commercially viable and economically attractive option. Using Aspen HYSYS, a steady-state process simulation software, the study conducts a detailed analysis of both the turboexpander process for Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) recovery and electricity generation. The findings reveal that converting flare gas into electricity by utilizing associated gas as fuel for turbines not only significantly reduces harmful emissions but also provides a substantial economic benefit. The most effective configuration identified is a system with two turbines operating in series, which, when utilizing 0.0889 m of interior diameter flare gas, yields the highest annual profit with a moderate capital investment. The results highlight the potential for sustainable energy production, emphasizing the feasibility of converting flare gas into electricity while addressing environmental concerns at gas refineries.

Comprehensive performance analysis of an advanced power generation cycle for liquid hydrogen cold energy recovery

Abstract Liquid hydrogen (LH2) is one of the most efficient ways to store hydrogen. To reduce the energy loss in the LH2 cycle, the cold energy released at ultra-low temperature in hydrogen regasification should be utilized. Here, an integrated two-stage organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power generation system for cold energy recovery from LH2 regasification is proposed. The designed system could recover some 15.3% of the cold energy and increasing the hydrogen cycle exergy efficiency to 71.8%. The working fluid pair R41/R1270 gave the best results and improved the net present value (NPV) by 2.3%.

Exergy efficiency improvement by compression heat recovery for an integrated natural gas liquefaction-CO2 capture-NGL recovery process

For liquefied natual gas production, cryogenic distillation offers lower thermal energy consumption and a more compact footprint for carbon capture unit than the widely used chemical absorption. However, the reduction in thermal energy consumption comes at the cost of increased power consumption. To reduce the power consumption of cryogenic distillation based natural gas lqiuefaction plants, an integrated process for liquefied natual gas production, cryogenic CO2 capture and natural gas liquids recovery is proposed, which is called the base process. This base process is further integrated with a heat recovery unit (Organic Rankine cycle or Kalina cycle) to investigate the optimal utilization of compression heat in the system. The proposed processes are modeled in Aspen HYSYS and optimized using a genetic algorithm installed in Matlab. The results show that specific power consumption of the base case is 0.385 kWh/Nm3 NG. Due to the lack of compression heat recovery, significant exergy loss occurs at the water coolers, accounting for approximately 37 % of the total system exergy destruction. Among the evaluated methods, the supercritical Organic Rankine cycle, using R1234ze as the working fluid, recovers approximately 60 % of the exergy from compression heat with an 8.7 % improvement in system exergy efficiency. The subcritical Organic Rankine cycle, using R600a as the working fluid, achieves a slightly lower exergy efficiency improvement of 7.1 %. The Kalina cycle, while less efficient, still improves the system’s exergy efficiency by 6.3 %. Economic analysis reveals that the total annualized cost of the base process is $8,441,416, with a levelized cost of $0.1411/kg. The subcritical Organic Rankine Cycle provides the most cost-effective solution, with the lowest total annualized cost of $8,305,154 and a levelized cost of $0.1402/kg. The Kalina cycle ranks second in cost-effectiveness, with a total annualized cost of $8,345,914 and a levelized cost of $0.1405/kg NG. Although the supercritical ORC requires the highest capital investment, it proves more cost-effective than the base process due to its reduced annual operating costs.

Study on the recovery of NMP waste liquid in lithium battery production by coupled pervaporation–adsorption process and evaluation of technical and economic performances

N-methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP) is an important solvent for the production of lithium batteries, which causes environmental pollution and wastes resources if it is directly discharged. The current commonly used vacuum distillation recovery process suffers from high operating costs and high energy consumption. Therefore, this paper proposes a coupled pervaporation-adsorption (PV-A) process to recover NMP solvents from lithium battery production waste streams. In this process, pervaporation is used to dewater the NMP waste liquid, it was found that the water content in the raw material liquid decreased from the initial 8.3% (mass) to 0.14% (mass) after 400 min of dewatering, but the membrane separation performance decreased significantly when the water content of the raw material liquid decreased to 0.45% (mass), and at the same time, the NMP loss rate increased rapidly. An adsorption process was used to remove trace water from the remaining liquid, and the water content in the feed liquid under the optimal adsorption process conditions was reduced from 0.45% (mass) to 140 ppm, which fully meets the purity requirements of electronics-grade NMP for the production of lithium batteries. Steady-state modeling and techno-economic evaluation of the proposed coupled process were carried out, and compared with vacuum distillation and pervaporation technologies, the results showed the PV-A process yielded the best techno-economic performance and the lowest environmental impact, and it can be used as an alternative process to the traditional NMP recycling technology. This study provides a new method for the recycling of NMP in the lithium battery industry.

Ammonium Removal and Recovery from Industrial Wastewater Using Distillation Method

:Industrial wastewater contains high ammonium concentration, leading to difficulties in the treatment process using conventional methods. This study used the heat distillation method following the alkalization of wastewater to remove and recover ammonium from the wastewater of an industrial plant. The influent wastewater has a pH 6.41 and a very high ammonium concentration (28000 mgN/L). The distillation system was designed to consist of heating, cooling, and recovery units. After alkalinization, the wastewater sample was boiled using an electric stove, the ammonia vapor passed through the cooler and condensed into liquid ammonia, and was recovered. The controlling factors for the removal efficiency including solution pH (7-12) and distillation time (0.5, 10, 15, 30, 60 and 90 min) were investigated. Experimental results show that the optimal conditions for ammonium treatment from wastewater are at pH 12 and distillation time of 30 min, corresponding to 100% of removal efficiency. In terms of liquid ammonia recovery, the ice cooling mode was more efficient than the tap water cooling and vacuum evaporating modes. Final ammonia concentration reached 215 mgN/L that has potential for industrial production.

Numerical investigation on cavitation erosion and evolution of choked flow in a tri-eccentric butterfly valve

The tri-eccentric butterfly valve is widely utilized in the petrochemical, nuclear, and metallurgy industries due to its robust sealing performance and great pressure resistance. When the local static pressure is lower than the saturation vapor pressure, the fluid phase is transformed into vapor, and cavitation occurs. Cavitation intensifies and the bubbles generated by cavitation severely hinder the flow when the inlet pressure remains constant and the outlet pressure further decreases. This phenomenon is known as choked flow. Choked flow is a derivative phenomenon of cavitation, which seriously threatens the lifetime of valves and the safety of the operation system. In this paper, a multiphase flow of the tri-eccentric butterfly valve is modeled to investigate the choked flow characteristics. The numerical results based on the proposed model are in good agreement with the experiments. The effect of the pressure drop on the mass flow rate and flow coefficient is studied and the liquid pressure recovery factor of the tri-eccentric butterfly is determined at the certain valve opening degree based on the Schnerr and Sauer cavitation model. The relationship between the pressure ratio and choked flow is studied by pressure and velocity contours. The susceptible erosion locations and primary causes of erosion for the tri-eccentric butterfly valve at the certain valve opening degree are investigated. By comparison of the distribution of the vapor volume fraction and vortex structures, the spatial correlation between vortex and choked flow is revealed. Meanwhile, the effect of the pressure ratios on the average vapor volume fraction at 70 % and 100 % valve opening degrees is studied. The evolution of choked flow in the tri-eccentric butterfly is revealed and the cause of choking is pointed out.

Experience in Monitoring Brazed Aluminium Heat Exchanger, after Major Repairs

Brazed Aluminium Heat Exchangers are fundamental for a natural gas liquid recovery plant. Refrigeration at cryogenic temperatures and the liquefaction process take advantages from their thermal hydraulic efficiency and compactness characteristics, making such units economically feasible. These exchangers are proprietary design, with only a few manufacturers around the world and limited knowledge about their maintenance. After two failures in the same equipment with possible thermal fatigue contributions, occurring only nine months apart, two complex repair procedures had to be carried out. To ensure operational safety, online monitoring through Acoustic Emission Technique has been performed. This monitoring led to discoveries of systems and routine maneuverer that triggered damage mechanisms. This allowed for the implementation of adjustments to mitigate the propagation of damage, thereby increasing the equipment's lifespan. The procedure applied in this type of equipment constitutes an innovative approach using the Acoustic Emission technique, which has resulted in a successful strategy of condition monitoring.

Size sieving and electrostatic exclusion synergetic strategy for high efficiency recovery of superbase-derived ionic liquids via nanofiltration from the spinning process

Superbase-derived ionic liquids (SILs) as the promising green solvents for cellulose spinning process should be urgently and deeply evaluated with respect to their recyclability. Herein, size sieving and electrostatic exclusion synergetic strategy was adopted for recycling four SILs ([DBUH][CH3CH2OCH2COO], [DBUH][CH3OCH2COO], [DBNH][CH3CH2OCH2COO], and [DBNH][CH3OCH2COO]) from aqueous solutions by the nanofiltration membranes (NF270 and NF90) at the first time. NF270 with larger pore and more negative charge was conducive to recycle SIL on account of a higher volume flux and the remarkably high IL rejection (＞95 %) compared to NF90. Rising the pressure and temperature played the positive role in the permeate flux of the membranes, whereas the elevated SIL concentration markedly decreased the electrostatic exclusion, leading to a decline in the recovery efficiency. Benefiting from the size sieving effect, the [DBNH][CH3OCH2COO] with small cation and anion structure could be recovered efficiently due to the high energy gap and big IL aggregates. Conversely, the strong electrostatic attraction was appeared between [DBUH][CH3CH2OCH2COO] (low energy gap and high positive charge density) and the membranes, leading to a decline in recovery efficiency. Furthermore, the combination of nanofiltration and evaporation to recover SIL from spinning wastewater effectively reduced the total recovery cost (1.51 $/Kg) in comparison with the evaporation only. Insight gained from this work suggested a high-efficiency and economical approach could be used in the recovery of SILs with small cations and anions size via large pore nanofiltration membranes during the industrialized cellulose spinning process.

Hydroxyl-functionalization promoted activity and recovery of ionic liquids in direct dimethyl carbonate synthesis from CO2

Direct synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from CO2 is promising for CO2 utilization, however its efficiency remains far from industrial-scale implementation for lack of customized catalysts. Herein, a hydroxyl-functionalized ionic liquid (HFIL) was developed to enhance catalytic activity, and importantly, to facilitate IL recovery through spontaneous phase separation. A high DMC yield (6.5 gDMC·kgcat−1·h−1) over HFIL was achieved under mild conditions compared to non- hydroxyl IL. Self-diffusion coefficients characterization revealed intensified diffusion of CH3OH and HFIL, alongside reduced blockage of active sites after hydroxyl functionalization. Density functional theory calculations elucidated that cation polarization induced by hydroxyl group facilitated the synergistic activation of both substrates and monomethyl carbonate intermediate. The reaction mechanism was further verified through diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. The self-separation behavior was demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulations. The deep insights into hydroxyl effects towards direct DMC synthesis provide a pioneering perspective for CO2 capture and utilization using functionalized ILs.

Evaluating Methanol and Liquid CO2 Recovery from Waste-to-Energy Facilities: A Life Cycle Assessment Perspective

This study investigates an integrated approach in which CO2 captured from waste-to-energy (WtE) facility flue gases is exploited to produce methanol (CH3OH), via a catalytic reaction with H2, and liquid CO2 for industrial applications. The integrated system is fully powered by energy from WtE, including the facility for alkaline electrolysis for hydrogen production. The amount of energy necessary for producing 1 tonne of CH3OH was 10.2 MWh, which can be generated by the combustion of approximately 25 tonne of waste in a typical European WtE. Under these conditions, 18.1 tonnes of liquid CO2 can also be recovered. Compared to the conventional production of CH3OH, the proposed system achieves a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, about 492.3 kg CO2eq per tonne of CH3OH. Other environmental impacts, such as particulate matter, acidification, and freshwater ecotoxicity, were found to be quite similar between the two scenarios. Furthermore, the EU27 WtE systems have the potential to meet about 22 % of the current methanol demand in the area significantly contributing to the EU’s goals for a circular and carbon–neutral economy.

One-pot four-step direct synthesis of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid from 2,5-diformylfuran under oxygen-free conditions

2,5-Furanedicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a valuable compound with the potential as a renewable and green alternative to terephthalic acid in polyester production. To address the issues of flammability, explosiveness, and product separation challenges associated with the current aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) to FDCA route, herein, for the first time, a one-pot four-step direct reaction pathway for the synthesis of FDCA from 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) and hydroxylamine salt is proposed. Under optimized conditions of 120 ℃ for 8 h, [HSO3-b-mim]·CF3SO3 catalyst and p-xylene-water dual liquid phase solvent, 100 % DFF conversion and 91.0 % FDCA separation yield were obtained. Notably, [HSO3-b-mim]·CF3SO3 exhibited excellent stability, maintaining its activity after being recycled more than five times. Through online experimentation and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, a four-step reaction mechanism involving aldehyde oximation, oxime dehydration, nitrile hydrolysis, and amide hydrolysis was proposed. This reaction pathway offers significant industrial application value due to its high FDCA yield, simple product separation, easy recovery and recycling of ionic liquid, and elimination of the need for oxygen.

Efficient enhancement of cryogenic processes: Extracting valuable insights with minimal effort

Cryogenic systems are widely used in industries but are known for their high energy consumption. Designing these systems involves numerous variables, objectives, and constraints. This study introduces an optimization approach applied to three cryogenic processes: Natural Gas Liquids (NGLs) recovery, Air Separation Unit (ASU), and propane mixed refrigerant (C3MR) liquefaction, focusing on minimizing energy input to enhance efficiency and LNG output in a mega LNG plant. Exergy analyses identified energy losses in compressors (47 %), columns (37 %), heat exchangers (10 %), and valves/mixers (5 %), highlighting the need for improved compressor design. Optimization showed that inefficiencies could be reduced by adding inter-cooled compression stages and isentropic/isothermal compression routes. The ASU optimization involved five independent variables with optimized conditions demanding 30 MW of compression power while achieving 51 % separation efficiency. Heat exchangers are the main source of exergy loss in the standalone C3MR cycle, accounting for 61.82 % of 69.0 MW followed by compressors ∼29.27 %. When simulated with utilities, total exergy loss increases to 249.0 MW, with compressors accounting for 78.34 %, exergy loss from heat exchangers drops to 17.94 %. Results affirm the practicality of the proposed method for optimizing complex cryogenic systems, providing valuable engineering insights and potential for significant energy savings.

Optimizing dilute acid pretreatment for enhanced recovery and co-fermentation of hexose and pentose sugars for ethanol and butanol production

A systematic study of dilute acid pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse was performed to optimize the recovery of hexose-rich solid and pentose-rich liquid while minimizing fermentation inhibitors. Pretreatment experiments evaluated the effects of pretreatment time (10–90 min) and acid concentration (0.5–3.0 % w/w). The optimized pretreatment (1.4 % w/w sulfuric acid, 56.4 min at 121 °C) led to a solid fraction with 60.4 % cellulose and a liquid stream rich in pentose, in which 92.7 % of sugars was recovered as xylose (17.8 g/L). Besides that, low concentrations of by-products (3 g/L – the sum of acetic and formic acid, furfural, and HMF) were identified in the liquid fraction. Both fractions were integrated into enzymatic processes for further co-fermentation of C5- and C6- sugars. Two fermentative routes were evaluated: simultaneous isomerization of xylose and co-fermentation of glucose and xylulose (SIcF) for 2G ethanol production and acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation of glucose and xylose for biobutanol, utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Clostridium acetobutylicum, respectively. SIcF yielded 0.48 gethanol/gsugars (24 g/L ethanol) with complete glucose consumption and 58.2 % xylose conversion. ABE fermentation produced 0.36 gABE/gsugars (15.7 g/L ABE and 9.5 g/L butanol), with 96 % glucose consumption and 29.6 % xylose conversion. The proof-of-concept demonstrated that the hydrolysates were satisfactorily fermentable by microorganisms, thus validating the pretreatment optimization for fermentation applications.

The impact of a zero-flaring system on gas plants, environment, and health

Continuous natural gas flaring wastes significant energy resources and increases greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming. Our work provides an overview of a technique to recover flare gas and reduce CO2 emissions to a minimum level. There are two methods to recover flare gas: the recovery of natural gas liquids and sales gas production by existing LPG unit and the production of liquid fuels by mini-GTL unit (gas to liquid). This study was conducted using real data from the field. All cases were simulated using Aspen HYSYS software. The mini-GTL unit is modeled using an autothermal reforming method. CO2 emissions will be reduced by 107.68 tonne/day in both methods. Economic analyses revealed that the NGL and sales gas product has a net present value (NPV) of 77.03 MMUSD, while the mini-GTL product has an NPV of 73.7 MMUSD. The study showed that we could extract natural gas liquids (NGLs), including propane, LPG, and sales gas, from the flare gas or convert it to liquid products, including gasoline and diesel. The expected internal rate of return (IRR) and payout time (POT) for NGL and sales gas method are 150.73% and 0.27 years, respectively. The mini-GTL method is recommended due to Egypt’s petroleum fuel shortage and the best solution without an entry point to the Egyptian national gas grid in the plant. However, the IRR and POT for the mini-GTL method are 30.09% and 1.19 years, respectively, and it needs more CAPEX than the NGL and sales gas method.Graphical

Sustainable recovery and recycling of acidic ionic liquid in 5-ethoxymethylfurfural production via bipolar membrane electrodialysis

Acidic ionic liquids have been proven effective as homogeneous catalysts in preparing 5-ethoxymethylfurfural the fuel additive and platform chemical. Homogeneous catalysis specialty and complicated electrolyte composition limited direct recovery of acidic ionic liquids after 5-ethoxymethylfurfural preparation. In this study, a bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED)-based strategy was designed for controllably recovering and regenerating acidic ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate [Bmim][HSO4] after 5-ethoxymethylfurfural preparation from fructose. Key factors in recovery of ionic liquid [Bmim][HSO4] were studied to ascertain the technical and financial feasibility of the electrodialysis-assisted strategy. The maximum recovery ratio of [Bmim][HSO4] approached 96.2% and the minimum recovery cost was less than 0.1% of [Bmim][HSO4] purchase cost. Insight developed by the work revealed a viable solution for efficient and integral recycling of acidic imidazole ionic liquid in the high-value conversion of biomass.

Development of a Microwave-Assisted Bench Reactor for Biomass Pyrolysis Using Hybrid Heating.

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) is a cutting-edge technology that converts biomass into fuels, chemicals, and materials. In this study, an Arduino was used to control and automate a MAP system built from a microwave oven with a cordierite chamber filled with silicon carbide. Sugar cane bagasse was pyrolyzed at 250, 350, 450, and 550 °C to validate the MAP system and obtain pyrolytic products with different yields and chemical compositions. Lower temperatures led to high biochar yields, but the highest surface area of 25.14 m2 g-1 was only achieved at 550 °C. By contrast, higher temperatures favored the recovery of pyrolysis liquids. BET and scanning electron microscopy analyses revealed a porous biochar structure, while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the availability of functional groups on the biochar surface decreased with an increase in pyrolysis temperature. GC-MS analysis quantified valuable low molecular mass compounds in pyrolysis liquids, including aldehydes, ketones, phenols, and alcohols. With its unprecedented hybrid heating device, the MAP system promoted suitable heating rates (31.9 °C min-1) and precise temperature control (only 19 °C of set point variation), generating pyrolysis products devoid of microwave susceptor interferences. Therefore, MAP provided a rapid, safe, and efficient means of depolymerizing biomass, thus holding promise for biorefinery applications.

Toward less carbon-intensive, faster gas-to-market offshore development schemes a case study of using discovered resources in the Bedout Sub-basin

The Dorado and Pavo fields in the Bedout Sub-basin of the Roebuck Basin, offshore Western Australia, boast a combined 2C contingent resource of 210 MMbbls of liquid hydrocarbons and 750 bcf of gas. Their discovery represents a significant development opportunity for the Australian offshore, especially given the considerable un-risked Prospective Resources in the basin. However, Dorado faces challenges due to its high volatile oil/high condensate gas ratio gas (wet gas) accumulation and its reservoir pressure exceeding 5500 psia, necessitating a miscible gas injection strategy to maximise liquid recovery. This approach involves energy-intensive gas processing and high-pressure reinjection, leading to substantial greenhouse gas emissions. The CO2 intensity directly from Dorado compressors is estimated at 30–39 kg/bbl – on a project-level nearly double the average unit emissions of many producers. This paper explores alternative development schemes using public domain information and petroleum engineering principles to mitigate technical risks, reduce CO2 emissions, and possibly improve the economics and development timeline of the Dorado and Pavo fields. For Dorado, a simpler scheme focussing on oil production and gas delivery for domestic or liquefied natural gas (LNG) use could significantly reduce emissions. Meanwhile, Pavo might see development via a standalone FPSO, emphasising reservoir energy management through water flooding and produced water disposal, typical of conventional black oil field development. These alternatives aim for a less carbon intensive and economically viable development pathway, setting a precedent for future exploration and development in the basin.

Effect of metal organic framework alginate aerogel composite sponge on adsorption of tartrazine from aqueous solutions: Adsorption models, thermodynamics and optimization via Box-Behnken design

La-MOF has an excellent chance of eliminating food and industrial coloring pollutants from water because it is a typical metal-organic framework material. Nevertheless, the challenging liquid recovery has restricted the use of this powdered adsorbent. In order to solve this shortcoming, we created composite beads (La-MOF@CA aerogel composite sponge) by solidifying sodium alginate and La-MOF together. A common technique to boost an adsorbent material's adsorption capability is to modify its composition; this is especially true for adsorbents composed of metal organic framework. The effects of La-MOF@CA aerogel composite sponge on the adsorption and elimination of tartrazine (TZ) were examined in this study. Following thorough characterization, the following tests were performed: X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area (BET). The La-MOF@CA aerogel composite sponge has a significant high surface area of 1244.68 m2/g and this surface area was decrease after adsorption of TZ to be 768.98 m2/g. the greatest adsorption capacity (qmax) of for TZ, 710.75 mg/g. Examine how the adsorption process is impacted by factors like temperature, adsorbent dosage, pH, and TZ concentration. The pHZPC was 5.18 and optimum pH for adsorption and removal of TZ was 4. The adsorption process was fitted to the pseudo-second-order equation kinetically, and to the Langmuir equation isothermally. As the adsorption energy Ea was 22.76 kJ/mol indicated that the adsorption process was chemisorption. The adsorption process was thought to be endothermic and spontaneous based on adsorption thermodynamics. The temperature increased in tandem with the amounts of materials absorbed. With good efficiency, no change in chemical composition, and similar XRD and XPS data before and after reuse, the La-MOF@CA aerogel composite sponge was reused five times. Examine the interaction mechanism between the heavy TZ and the La-MOF@CA aerogel composite sponge. Box Behnken-design was used to maximize the adsorption results (BBD).

Insight into the catalytic behavior of ionic liquids and deactivation suppression technique in naphthalene alkylation

Lewis acidic ionic liquids as catalysts for alkylation reactions exhibited the potential for industrial application. Herein, the catalytic behavior of AlCl3-based ionic liquids with four organic ammonium salts was studied in the alkylation of naphthalene with n-octene for production of lubricating base oil, with special focus on the deactivation and recovery of ionic liquid. The Et3NHCl-AlCl3 ionic liquid exhibited better catalytic performance than others due to its stronger interaction with naphthalene, as evidenced by the adsorption test of naphthalene over ionic liquids. To understand the deactivation mechanism, the deactivated catalysts were extensively characterized by FT-IR and UV–vis. The protonation effect of ionic liquids on polyalkylation products in the presence of HCl was found to aggravate the deactivation of ionic liquid. The negative effect is easily reversed by the decompression treatment on the reaction system before catalyst recovery, this method markedly enhanced the cycling durability of ionic liquids for industrial application.

Multi-well plate lid for single-step pooling of 96 samples for high-throughput barcode-based sequencing

High-throughput transcriptomics is of increasing fundamental biological and clinical interest. The generation of molecular data from large collections of samples, such as biobanks and drug libraries, is boosting the development of new biomarkers and treatments. Focusing on gene expression, the transcriptomic market exploits the benefits of next-generation sequencing (NGS), leveraging RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) as standard for measuring genome-wide gene expression in biological samples. The cumbersome sample preparation, including RNA extraction, conversion to cDNA and amplification, prevents high-throughput translation of RNA-seq technologies. Bulk RNA barcoding and sequencing (BRB-seq) addresses this limitation by enabling sample preparation in multi-well plate format. Sample multiplexing combined with early pooling into a single tube reduces reagents consumption and manual steps. Enabling simultaneous pooling of all samples from the multi-well plate into one tube, our technology relies on smart labware: a pooling lid comprising fluidic features and small pins to transport the liquid, adapted to standard 96-well plates. Operated with standard fluidic tubes and pump, the system enables over 90% recovery of liquid in a single step in less than a minute. Large scale manufacturing of the lid is demonstrated with the transition from a milled polycarbonate/steel prototype into an injection molded polystyrene lid. The pooling lid demonstrated its value in supporting high-throughput barcode-based sequencing by pooling 96 different DNA barcodes directly from a standard 96-well plate, followed by processing within the single sample pool. This new pooling technology shows great potential to address medium throughput needs in the BRB-seq workflow, thereby addressing the challenge of large-scale and cost-efficient sample preparation for RNA-seq.Graphical abstract