Organic Alkali Research Articles

Dispersed ground ice of permafrost peatlands: Potential unaccounted carbon, nutrient and metal sources

The physical and chemical consequences of massive ground ice (wedges) melt upon permafrost thaw is one of the central issues of environmental research linked to climate warming in the Arctic. Little is known about the chemical properties of dispersed ground ice abundant throughout permafrost peatlands that can easily melt with increasing active layer thickness (ALT). This is especially pertinent in continental lowlands, that account for sizeable areas of the Arctic, and contain high amount of organic carbon in both solid (peat) and liquid (porewater) phases. Here we studied 8 peat cores (0–130 cm depth)—comprised of porewater from the active layer (0–45 cm) as well as ice dispersed in frozen peat (40–130 cm)—across a latitudinal profile of Western Siberia Lowland (WSL) extending from discontinuous into continuous permafrost zones. Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC), alkali and alkaline-earth metals (Ca, Mg, Sr, Ba, Li, Rb, Cs), sulfate, phosphorus, some trace elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, V, As, Y, REE, Zr, Hf, U) were sizably [more than 3 times] enriched in peat ice compared to peat porewaters from the active layer. In most sampled cores, there was a local maximum of strong enrichment (up to factors between 14 and 58) in DOC, P, Ca, Mg, Mn, Fe, Sr, As located 30–50 cm below the active layer. This maximum likely occurred due to solute concentration during full freezing of the soil column during winter. There was a sizable correlation between DOC, Al, Fe and other major and trace element concentrations that suggests strong control of organic complexes and organo-mineral (Al, Fe) colloids on element migration throughout the peat profile. The pool of C, major cations and trace metals in peat ice (40–130 cm) was approximately 3–55 times higher than the pool of these elements in porewaters from the active layer (0–40 cm). A 1-m increase of the ALT over the next 100 years is capable of mobilizing 58 ± 38 Tg of DOC from soil ice into the rivers and lakes of the WSL latitudinal belt (63–67 °N). This fast lateral export of C (3.7 ± 2.7 t C km−2 y−1) may double current C yields in WSL rivers (3.4 ± 1.3 t C km−2 y−1). A strong increase (150–200%) in riverine export of Zn, P and Cs may also occur while other micronutrients (Fe, Ni, Co, Ba, Mo, Rb) and toxicants (Cd, As, Al) may be affected to a lesser degree (20–30% increase). We propose a global peat ice inventory in permafrost regions is essential for assessing the consequences of permafrost thaw on surface aquatic systems.

Effects of vegetation restoration on soil nutrients, plant diversity, and its spatiotemporal heterogeneity in a desert–oasis ecotone

AbstractVegetation restoration has been proposed as an effective measure for rehabilitating degraded land and slowing desertification in arid regions. However, the spatial variation in soil quality and plant diversity following vegetation restoration remains unclear. This study was designed to explore soil nutrient dynamics and how soil nutrients affect plant diversity and spatial heterogeneity after shrub restoration. We assessed the effect of Haloxylon ammodendron (C.A.Mey.) Bunge (which has been planted over 30 years) on the soil nutrients and plant diversity in a desert–oasis ecotone in Minqin County, Gansu, China, using geostatistics, beta diversity and rarefaction analyses, and Hill number extrapolation. Soil nutrients, including soil organic matter, total nitrogen, and alkali nitrogen, increased significantly after H. ammodendron planting. Species richness gradually increased from 1–5 years to 10–20 years after H. ammodendron was planted but then decreased at 20–30 years. The largest differences in plant composition were observed at 15 and 20 years. Plant diversity increased in the whole 30 years after shrub planting, increasing in the first 25 years and then decreasing at 26–30 year stage. The maximum coefficient of determination for the spatial heterogeneity model fit was 0.84 (25 years). The spatial heterogeneity in vegetation decreased with increasing soil available K content at 1–10 years. Our results suggest that planting shrubs can improve soil conditions and plant species diversity in desert–oasis ecotones and soil nutrients have a strong influence on plant diversity patterns and spatial heterogeneity following vegetation restoration.

Microwave-assisted catalytic fast pyrolysis of rice husk over a hierarchical HZSM-5/MCM-41 catalyst prepared by organic base alkaline solutions

This paper reports the results obtained for microwave-assisted catalytic fast pyrolysis (MACFP) of rice husk. The MACFP process employed a hierarchical catalyst prepared via a combination of organic alkali treatment (TPAOH) and the generation of an external layer of MCM-41-type mesoporous channels. We propose this catalyst which is used for the first time for pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass, as a tool to reduce coke agglomeration and increase hydrocarbon yields. Our results indicate that during catalyst preparation the mass fraction of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) has a direct effect on the content of MCM-41 formed on top of the HZSM-5 core. For MACFP, we hypothesize that the small molecules generated from thermal decomposition of rice husk react further to form aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons by decarbonylation, decarboxylation, oligomerization and aromatization. The highest hydrocarbon yield (60.5%) was obtained for a catalyst modified by a 2.0 mol/L TPAOH solution, with 10 wt% of CTAB (template for producing MCM-41), as well as with digestion and crystallization at 110 °C for 24 h. In addition, the highest liquid yield (47.6 wt%) was obtained at 550 °C. The relative content of hydrocarbons goes through a maximum of 60.5% with CTAB mass fraction which was higher than values obtained with MCM-41 (3.2%) and HZSM-5 (36.0%). Characterization and catalytic testing results suggest that the digestion temperature plays a more important role in the catalyst synthesis than the crystallization temperature. High digestion temperature (120 °C) decreases the overall hydrocarbon selectivity from 60.5% (110 °C) to 39.2%. The relative content of oxygenates reached the lowest value of 35.9% at the digestion and crystallization temperature of 110 °C. The synergistic effect of the MCM-41 shell and the HZSM-5 core promotes the catalytic activity, leading to outstanding deoxygenation capabilities and excellent selectivity to BTEX (52.7%).

Catalytic behavior of Li-Al-LDH prepared via mechanochemical and co-precipitation routes for cyanoethylation reaction

It was attempted to get Li-LDH-like compounds containing Li+ and Al3+ in the cationic layer by mechanochemical and co-precipitation methods, starting from nitrates as precursor salts, using for the pH-adjustment either NaOH as inorganic alkali or tetra methyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) as an organic one. Using Li+, Al3+ and organic alkali (TMAH), a pure LDH phase is obtained only by co-precipitation method whereas by the mechanochemical method a mixture of pure LDH phase and gibbsite is obtained. This is a step forward in the synthesis of Li-Al-LDH, since the pure phase was usually prepared only from LiOH precursor. The physico-chemical properties of the synthesized solids have been determined using XRD, DRIFT, BET, TG-DTA, and the irreversible adsorption of organic molecules with different pKa values. The catalytic tests performed for the 1,4-addition of ethanol yielding 3-ethoxypropionitrile showed that the gibbsite-unpurified samples led to decreased values of conversion, while higher conversion rates were obtained for the pure LDH phase which had an increased basicity. However, for all investigated solids the selectivity to 3-ethoxypropionitrile product is over 99.9 %. A straight correlation between the number of basic sites and their catalytic activity was evidenced.

Emerging soluble organic redox materials for next-generation grid energy-storage applications

Because of their structural versatility, fast redox reactivity, high storage capacity, sustainability, and environmental friendliness, soluble organic redox molecules have emerged as materials that have potential for use in energy-storage systems. Considering these advantages, this paper reviews recent progress in implementing such materials in aqueous soluble organic redox flow batteries and organic alkali metal/air batteries. We identify and discuss major challenges associated with molecular structures, cell configurations, and electrochemical parameters. Hopefully, we provide a general guidance for the future development of soluble organic redox materials for emerging energy-storage devices used in the electricity grid.

Alkaline-surfactant-polymer formulation development for a HTHS carbonate reservoir

There are many HTHS (high temperature, high salinity) carbonate reservoirs where temperature (>80 °C) and salinity (>30,000 ppm) are high. The goal of this study was to develop an alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) formulation for a high temperature (~100 °C), high salinity (~60,000 ppm) giant carbonate reservoir with low surfactant retention, an essential requirement for low chemical cost. Phase behavior tests were conducted with anionic surfactants, alkali, co-solvents, brine, and crude oil to identify chemical formulations with ultra-low IFT under reservoir conditions. Corefloods were first conducted in outcrop carbonate cores and then in reservoir cores. The effluent was analyzed for oil, surfactant, pH, salinity and viscosity. Surfactant adsorption on carbonate surfaces decreases at high pH. Ammonia and a new organic alkali ethoxylated diisopropylamine (DIPA-10EO) were studied for this application since there is both anhydrite and dolomite in the formation. Sodium carbonate cannot be used as the alkali in rocks containing anhydrite, and sodium hydroxide cannot be used as the alkali in rocks containing dolomite. Ultralow IFT (~0.001 mN/m) was achieved with several ASP formulations using the reservoir oil. The first three core floods in Indiana limestone yielded excellent tertiary oil recoveries of 85.2, 89.5 and 91.8%, and very low surfactant retentions of 0.06, 0.02, and 0.11 mg/g-rock, respectively. The reservoir coreflood resulted in 93.6% tertiary oil recovery and a final oil saturation of 1.2%. The surfactant retention was 0.083 mg/g-rock. The chemical formulation developed here is applicable to this high permeability, non-fractured, HTHS carbonate reservoir. Future research should address other carbonate reservoir issues such as fractures and low permeability.

The Effectiviness of Organic Method for Increasing the Productivity of Oil Palm That Is Infected by Ganoderma

The usage of organic fertilizer is expected to help developing organic plantation so that it can produce organic CPO and other organic derivate. Our study used organic fertilizer SUPER MOAF (Multi Organic Alkali Fertilizer), biopesticide and biofungiside CHIPS (Colony Highly Invasive Protection System) that is manufactured by PT. Propadu Konair Tarahubun. We conducted this study in 7 different plantation: Kecamatan Langgam, Riau block K and L with the plantation year of 2011; Kecamatan Bila Hilir, North Sumatra block DO and CO with the plantation year of 2011; Kecamatan Langgam, Riau block J and I with the plantation year of 2010; Kecamatan Long Iklis, East Kalimantan block 26 and 27 with the plantation year in 2002; Kecamatan Sei Kijang, Riau block M12 and N12 with the plantation year of 2005; Kecamatan Langgam, Riau block F and H with the plantation year of 2009; Kecamatan Teluk Dalam, North Sumatra block R and M with the plantation year of 2006. All plantation is given the same treatment: nonorganic fertilizer in control block (L, CO, I, 27, N12, H, and M) and switching from using Non-organic fertilizer to MOAF organic fertilizer in experiment block (K, DO, J, 26, M12, F, and R), this study is conducted for 4-5 years (2014-2018). The switching from nonorganic fertilizer to organic fertilizer is done in 2015, except for the oil palm that the plantation year is in 2011 is done in 2016. After switching from Non-organic to organic fertilizer, in the experiment blocks, show increasing of production (26.47%-88.33%) per Ha meanwhile the control block show increasing of production (4.21%-38.76%) per Ha. Fertilizer is given to the tree that has infected by disease, damaged, and have to be replanted because of Ganoderma invasion. Using MOAF organic method can also increase the production approximately 64.34%-110.77% from PPKS production standard in palm oil that has been infected by Ganoderma. Using MOAF fertilizer, biopesticide, and biofungiside CHIPS are not only recovering the palm oil that is expected to collapse soon because of Ganoderma infection but also maximize the production that is similar to healthy palm oil. Organic method is an efficient and effective way to help increasing the production of palm oil and environmental sustainability even in Ganoderma infection condition.

Cation effects on dynamics of ligand-benzylated formazanate boron and aluminium complexes.

The dynamic processes present in ligand-benzylated formazanate boron and aluminium complexes are investigated using variable temperature NMR experiments and lineshape analyses. The observed difference in activation parameters for complexes containing either organic countercations (NBu4+) or alkali cations is rationalized on the basis of a different degree of ion-pairing in the ground state, and the data are in all cases consistent with a mechanism that involves pyramidal inversion at the nitrogens in the heterocyclic ring rather than homolytic N-C(benzyl) bond cleavage.

Polymerization of aluminate monomer in its initial nucleation stage of organic alkali solution revealed by ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulation

The reaction mechanism in the initial nucleation stages of organic alkali aluminate solution was obtained through reactive force field simulation. It was found that the hydrocarbon groups dissociated from tetramethylammonium cations (TMAH+) acted as bridge in the process of aluminate polymerization. The monomer is easier to polymerize at higher concentration and TMHA+ ions can promote the conversion of monomer. Moreover, the hydrocarbon group bonded Al(OH)4− absorbs another Al(OH)4− to form dimers and sequentially trimers, tetramers and higher polymerized aluminate ions. The elucidation of prenucleation species facilitates investigations of stability of aluminate solution and further guide the regulation of material morphology and crystal structure.

An Experimental Study of Emulsion Flow in Alkaline/Solvent Coinjection with Steam for Heavy-Oil/Bitumen Recovery

SummaryWater is the dominant component in steam-injection processes, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). The central hypothesis in this research is that in-situ oil transport can be enhanced by generating oil-in-water emulsion, where the water-continuous phase acts as an effective oil carrier. As part of the research project, this paper presents an experimental study of how oil-in-water emulsion can improve oil transport in porous media at elevated temperatures.Diethylamine (DEA) was selected as the organic alkali that generates oil-in-water emulsions with Athabasca bitumen at a 1,000-ppm NaCl brine and a 0.5-wt% alkali concentration. This aqueous composition had been confirmed to be an optimum in terms of oil content in the water-external emulsion phase at a wide range of temperatures. Then, flow experiments with a glass-bead pack were conducted to measure the effective viscosities of emulsion samples at shear rates from 5 to 29 seconds−1 at 35 bar and temperatures from 373 to 443 K.Results show that the oil-in-water emulsions were more than 15 times less viscous than the original bitumen at temperatures from 373 to 443 K. At the shear rate of 5 seconds−1, for example, the emulsion viscosity was 12 cp at 373 K, at which the bitumen viscosity was 206 cp. The efficiency of in-situ bitumen transport was evaluated by calculating the bitumen molar flow rate under gravity drainage with the new experimental data. Results show that oil-in-water emulsion can enhance the in-situ molar flow of bitumen by a factor of 273 at 403 K and 345 at 373 K, in comparison with the two-phase flow of oil and water in conventional SAGD. At 443 K, only a fraction of bitumen is emulsified in water, but the bitumen transport by both oil-in-water emulsion and an excess oil phase in DEA-SAGD can enhance the molar flow of bitumen by a factor of 19 in comparison to SAGD. This is mainly because the mobility of the bitumen-containing phase is enhanced by the reduced viscosity and increased effective permeability. A marked difference between alkaline solvents and conventional hydrocarbon solvents is that only a small amount of an alkaline solvent enables enhancing the in-situ transport of bitumen.

Polyetheramine as an alternative alkali for alkali/surfactant/polymer flooding

The application of conventional alkalis (NaOH or Na2CO3) in alkali/surfactant/polymer (ASP) flooding is rather limited due to their intrinsic drawbacks, including precipitating during injection into formation water with a high divalent ion concentration and enhancing the dispersibility of clays (e.g., montmorillonite (MMT) or kaolinite) in water, which lead to damage to reservoir formations and bring about difficulties in treating produced fluids. Here, we propose polyetheramine D 230 as an alternative alkali to avoid these problems. D 230 is a diamine linked by poly(oxypropylene) backbones. Interfacial tension and emulsification measurements proved that D 230 can neutralize the acidic components in crude oil to generate surface-active soaps, which facilitate oil emulsification in water. Contact angle measurements indicated that an oil-contaminated quartz surface treated with D 230/SP blends was successfully altered from oil-wet to water-wet. Sand pack flooding measurements demonstrated that a D 230/SP injection was able to mobilize 19.23% of the original oil in place (OOIP) after thorough water flooding. Rheograms of alkali/polymer blends showed a reduced impact of D 230 on viscosity. Static bottle tests indicated that no precipitation occurred after D 230 was injected into formation water with a high Ca2+ concentration. Colloidal stability measurements of clay dispersions suggested that D 230 can inhibit clay dispersibility. As an alternative alkali in ASP flooding, D 230 not only facilitates enhanced oil recovery (EOR) but also solves problems such as precipitation, high biotoxicity, reduced fluid viscosity and enhanced clay dispersibility brought about by conventional inorganic and organic alkalis. These advantages make D 230 an eco-friendly choice as an alkali for ASP flooding.

Raspberry-Like Polysilsesquioxane Particles with Hollow-Spheres-on-Sphere Structure: Rational Design, Controllable Synthesis, and Catalytic Application.

Raspberry-like hollow-spheres-on-sphere (HSOS) particles with reactive surfaces, uniform sizes and monodisperse properties were rational designed and fabricated to immobilize gold nanoparticles for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol. HSOS polysilsesquioxane (PSQ) particles were constructed by an organic alkali catalyzed sol-gel process from trialkoxysilane precursors with stabilized polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles as both a sacrifice template and a Pickering emulsifier. The PSQ particles were fabricated in an ice bath with methyltrimethoxysilane and mercaptopropyltrimethoxysiane as a co-precursor, tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) as a catalyst, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and sodium lignosulfonat as co-stabilizers and PS latex as a hard template. The formation mechanism of the hierarchical particles was investigated in detail by the time study through imaging the particles at regular time intervals during the reaction process. Various effect factors on the morphology were studied systematically which showed that the precursor composition, the content of PS, TMAH and PVP are the most important factors. The hierarchical structure combined with the mercaptopropyl groups on both the surface and the skeleton to make it possible to adsorb guest molecules. Au nanoparticles were immobilized on the particles for the catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. The unique PSQ colloids with hollow-spheres-on-sphere extended the family of the hierarchical structures and has shown the potential applications in separations, drug delivery and heterogeneous catalysts.

Effects of silicon fertilizer on nitrogen and phosphorus contents in the rice-surface water-soil of paddy field

Examining the effects of silicon fertilizer on the yield of double-cropping rice and the leaching loss of soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) could provide a basis for the optimization of formula fertilizer and the comprehensive control technique of agricultural surface source pollution in typical double cropping paddy field. A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of silicon fertilizer of 0, 750, 1500, 2250 and 3000 kg·hm-2(T0, T1, T2, T3, T4) on yield and N and P absorption of double-cropping rice, dynamics of N and P in the field surface water, soil available silicon, organic matter, alkali nitrogen and available phosphorus under the fixed nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. The results showed that compared with control (T0), the silicon fertilizer increased the yield of early and late rice by 2.2%-30.4% and 3.9%-9.2%, respectively, enhanced rice N accumulation increased by 2.4%-47.3%, rice P accumulation by 2.2%-41.3%, straw N accumulation by 0.4%-28.3%, and straw P accumulation by 5.1%-31.0%. On the first day after fertilization, the total nitrogen (TN) content in the surface water was decreased by 3.4%-28.8% in silicon treatments compared with T0, the ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), total phosphorus (TP) and total soluble phosphorus (TDP) was decreased by 10.4%-25.6%, 25.5%-29.2%, 30.8%-38.0%, respectively. 45 days later, TP and TDP contents in the field surface water were significantly higher than T0. The silicon fertilizer treatment was beneficial to increase soil silicon level, contents of organic matter and alkali nitrogen of the double cropping rice, among which the T1 treatment performed the best. Soil available phosphorus showed a decreasing trend with the increasing silicon fertilizer.

Peculiarities of the urinary system functional state in neonates and its role in maintenance of the body homeostasis (literary review)

The urinary system activity is of great importance for homeostasis maintenance, which is determined by its participation in elimination of final metabolites, foreign and toxic substances from the body; providing stable blood volume and extracellular fluid; constant concentration of osmotic active substances and ions; regulation of acid-alkali balance, arterial pressure, erythropoiesis, blood clotting, modulation of hormone action; participation in the processes of protein, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Clinicians should know peculiarities of formation of the main kidney functions in neonates depending on gestation term and day of life, which can enable to diagnose renal damage in time. Antenatal development of the urinary system occurs during embryonic and fetal periods. During the embryonic period all the nephron structures are formed, and during the fetal period the system is maturing. In case of disorders of normal embryogenesis of the urinary system during the first three months of gestation severe embryopathy is formed. Its severity depends on the damage of an appropriate gene. During later periods fetopathy develops under the effect of various factors promoting disorders of the processes of renal differentiation, and renal pathology is characterized by dys- and hypoplasia. A leading factor of the kidney growth during postnatal ontogenesis is enlargement of the amount of cells but not their sizes. After birth the systemic circulation is reorganized, systemic blood pressure and hydrostatic pressure in glomeruli increase; a relative area of glomerular capillaries, the size of afferent and efferent arterioles increase; and arteriole resistance decreases. Glomerular-tubular imbalance is typical for neonates. It consists of morphological and functional prevalence of the glomeruli over proximal tubules in the immature nephron. The structure of the glomerular membrane changes during the postnatal period: endothelial cells become flat, fenestrations appear, the common basal membrane is formed between the endothelium and podocytes, podocyte legs are formed in the cells of the visceral layer of the glomerular capsule resulting in 40% enlargement of the filtration surface. The processes of tubular maturation in neonates consist of the formation of a dense location and structure of specific transport proteins, electrochemical gradient of the cellular membrane, sensitivity to hormones, phospholipid content, the volume of intracellular fluid and cellular metabolic activity associated with anatomical and functional nephron heterogeneity. Anatomical immaturity of the urinary system in neonates determines peculiarities of its functional state, that is, insufficiently adequate glomerular filtration rate, decreased ability to reabsorb filtered amino acids and minor peptides, phosphates, bicarbonates, glucose and non-organic ions, decreased secretion of organic acids, alkali and medicines, as well as reduced concentration ability of the kidneys.Awareness of peculiarities of the renal function development in healthy neonates is essential for correct interpretation of the results of laboratory and instrumental examinations, understanding the mechanisms of development of pathologic deviations.

Effects of ethylenediamine on the physico-chemical properties of heavy oil

As a type of organic base, ethylenediamine has a significant influence on the properties of the heavy oil, which can be used to emulsify the heavy oil under shear conditions. After 12 hours of shearing at the rate of 20r/min at the temperature of 60 °C, a volume heavy oil can be completely emulsified in 9 volume ethylenediamine solution with mass concentration of 5000 mg/L to form an O/W emulsion. Under the action of ethylenediamine, the interfacial tension is decreased, the Zeta potential is increased, the interfacial shear viscosity has a little change, and the stabilization of O/W emulsion is increased. The results can provide a reference for the study the mechanism of emulsification of heavy oil by using organic alkali.

Oil-in-water emulsification of Athabasca bitumen with pyrrolidine solution

This paper presents an experimental study of use of pyrrolidine solutions to induce the oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion of Athabasca bitumen without using synthetic surfactants. Pyrrolidine, an organic alkali, acts not only as an alkali that generates natural surfactants from acidic oil components in bitumen, but also as a cosolvent that improves the fluidity of the o/w emulsions.Experimental results show that the o/w emulsions created by pyrrolidine solutions can result in a large mobility increase of bitumen because of their low viscosity and high bitumen content. O/w emulsions were observed at low pyrrolidine concentrations (below 20 wt% and as low as 0.5 wt%) and low salinities (0 and 1000 ppm). For example, the sample of 0.5 wt% pyrrolidine in 1000-ppm NaCl brine with 7:3 water-oil-ratio showed a single-phase o/w emulsion at all experimental temperatures from 298 K to 373 K. In comparison to the original bitumen, the o/w emulsion was 4–6 orders of magnitude less viscous at 298 K, 2–3 orders of magnitude less viscous at 323 K, and 1–2 orders of magnitude less viscous at 353 K.The affinity of the organic alkali for asphaltic bitumen is important for o/w emulsification at a wide range of temperatures. Pyrrolidine is superior to the other organic alkalis tested, diethylamine and triethylenetetramine, likely because the cyclic structure makes pyrrolidine more compatible with the asphaltic bitumen. The favorable result with pyrrolidine is also confirmed by the Hansen solubility dispersion parameter.

Effect of organic alkali, n-alkanol, and nonionic surfactant ternary compound system on viscosity reduction of viscous crude oil

To reduce the viscosity of viscous crude oil and flow resistance, the effect of a ternary compound system including organic alkali, n-alkanol, and nonionic surfactants on viscous crude oil viscosity reduction was studied. The results showed that n-alkanol effectively reduced the droplet size of an emulsion and the viscosity of viscous crude oil and improved the fluidity of viscous crude oil. Of the low-carbon n-alkanols, n-pentanol has the best viscosity-reducing effect. The organic alkali avoids the phenomenon of fouling and corrosion caused by inorganic alkali and reacts with the acidic macromolecular components in viscous crude oil to generate alkanolamides, which produce synergistic effects with nonionic surfactants and reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water. In the ternary compound of organic alkali, n-alkanol, and nonionic surfactant, the viscosity reduction effect of viscous crude oil is significantly enhanced compared with that of a single reagent. The viscosity reduction rate of viscous crude oil of the diethanolamine ternary compound system reached 98.1% and was the best choice by experimental validation. It is shown that a reasonable formula of compound system and dosage can significantly reduce the viscosity of viscous crude oil.

Effect of organic alkali on compressive strength and hydration of wet-grinded granulated blast-furnace slag containing Portland cement

In this study, a commercially available ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) was further processed by wet grinding, and WGGBS (wet-grinded GGBS) slurry with superfine particles was obtained. To avoid self-hydration of slag and augment the grinding efficiency, one commercially available polycarboxylate superplasticizer was added. The binder, composed of 10.0% cement and 90.0% WGGBS with the addition of 0.05% triethanolamine (TEA) and 0.05% triisopropanolamine (TIPA), was designed; the cement was added to provide alkali environment and calcium ions, and organic alkali was used to promote the dissolution of GGBS. The compressive strength of mortar and hydration mechanism was investigated. The results showed that wet grinding exhibited high grinding efficiency; D(50) value of particle size distribution of WGGBS was reduced from 18 μm to 2.10 μm by wet grinding for one hour. Compressive strength of hardened WGGBS mortar was 20 MPa and 28 MPa at 7 d and 28 d, and 10% cement replacement ratio of the WGGBS increased the strength to 24.6 MP at 7 d and 32.2 MPa at 28 d. Furthermore, in C-WGGBS, 0.05% TEA increased the 7 d strength by 23%, with the value of 30.27 MPa, but 0.05%TIPA slightly reduced it to 23.5 MPa, with a decrease by 5%. Mechanism behind the increase was due to the accelerated formation of hydrotalcite-like phase, despite the retarding effect on formation of C-(A)S-H gel; the slight decline by TIPA was mainly because of the retarding effect of formation of C-(A)S-H gel as well as its air-entraining effect. Moreover, both TEA and TIPA increased the 28 d strength of cement-WGGBS system, because TEA and TIPA were able to facilitate ferric and aluminum dissolution and expedite the formation of C-(A)S-H gel as well as hydrotalcite-like phase. Additionally, it was worth noting that 0.05% TEA could make 28 d strength of the binder, composed of only 10% cement, reach 43.7 MPa, in accordance with the requirement of 42.5 grade cement.

Robust and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics via a one-step solvothermal method for efficient oil/water separation

Traditional superhydrophobic cotton fabrics (CF) demonstrate various advantages such as self-cleaning, water repelling and efficient oil/water separation capacity but limited practical applications due to their poor mechanical robustness and environmental durability. In this work, robust and durable superhydrophobic polydivinylbenzene (PDVB) coated CF (PDVB@CF) are fabricated via a simple one-step, fluorine-free, and inorganic nanoparticle-free solvothermal method. The PDVB@CF displays excellent chemical resistance without losing superhydrophobicity after immersing in various organic solvents, strong acid and alkali solutions for a long time. The PDVB@CF shows excellent mechanical robustness to resist sandpaper abrasion and ultrasonication treatment. Furthermore, the PDVB@CF exhibits outstanding high and low temperature resistances since the contact angle of either acidic or alkali droplets is greater than 150° after isothermal treatment at 200 °C or immersion in liquid nitrogen for 3 h. The PDVB@CF is very efficient in separating water mixtures with various oily compounds with separation efficiency of higher than 98% and flux up to 56 k L m−2 h−1 depending on characteristics of the oils. In addition, the PDVB@CF shows excellent recyclability with superhydrophobicity and separation efficiency that remained after 10 separation cycles. The PDVB@CF with excellent robustness and durability exhibits potential utility in oil/water separation even under some harsh conditions.

Organic Alkali Metal Salt Derived Three-Dimensional N-Doped Porous Carbon/Carbon Nanotubes Composites with Superior Li–S Battery Performance

The organic alkali metal salt of sodium 4-(methylamino)butanoate has been synthesized and used as a precursor for N-doped porous carbon/carbon nanotubes composite (NPC/CNTs). The cheap and easy obt...