Potential Industrial Application Prospects Research Articles

Engineering non-conventional yeast Rhodotorula toruloides for ergothioneine production

BackgroundErgothioneine (EGT) is a distinctive sulfur-containing histidine derivative, which has been recognized as a high-value antioxidant and cytoprotectant, and has a wide range of applications in food, medical, and cosmetic fields. Currently, microbial fermentation is a promising method to produce EGT as its advantages of green environmental protection, mild fermentation condition, and low production cost. However, due to the low-efficiency biosynthetic process in numerous cell factories, it is still a challenge to realize the industrial biopreparation of EGT. The non-conventional yeast Rhodotorula toruloides is considered as a potential candidate for EGT production, thanks to its safety for animals and natural ability to synthesize EGT. Nevertheless, its synthesis efficiency of EGT deserves further improvement.ResultsIn this study, out of five target wild-type R. toruloides strains, R. toruloides 2.1389 (RT1389) was found to accumulate the highest EGT production, which could reach 79.0 mg/L at the shake flask level on the 7th day. To achieve iterative genome editing in strain RT1389, CRISPR-assisted Cre recombination (CACR) method was established. Based on it, an EGT-overproducing strain RT1389-2 was constructed by integrating an additional copy of EGT biosynthetic core genes RtEGT1 and RtEGT2 into the genome, the EGT titer of which was 1.5-fold increase over RT1389. As the supply of S-adenosylmethionine was identified as a key factor determining EGT production in strain RT1389, subsequently, a series of gene modifications including S-adenosylmethionine rebalancing were integrated into the strain RT1389-2, and the resulting mutants were rapidly screened according to their EGT production titers with a high-throughput screening method based on ergothionase. As a result, an engineered strain named as RT1389-3 was selected with a production titer of 267.4 mg/L EGT after 168 h in a 50 mL modified fermentation medium.ConclusionsThis study characterized the EGT production capacity of these engineered strains, and demonstrated that CACR and high-throughput screening method allowed rapid engineering of R. toruloides mutants with improved EGT production. Furthermore, this study provided an engineered RT1389-3 strain with remarkable EGT production performance, which had potential industrial application prospects.

Study on the recovery of graphite from spent carbon cathode via ultrasound-assisted foam flotation

Spent carbon cathode is a kind of solid waste produced by the electrolytic aluminum industry, and it poses a high environmental risk. However, it also contains valuable graphite resources that can be recycled and used as raw materials in industry. In this work, we aimed to enhance the efficient recovery of graphite by introducing ultrasonic waves into the flotation process. Particle size test, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), BET surface area, and other analytical techniques confirmed that ultrasound could promote particle dispersion, clean the surface of minerals, increase the porosity of the graphite surface, and thus strengthen the flotation performance. The results showed that after ultrasonic treatment for 30 min, the recovery rate of graphite increased from 86.22% to 96.24%, the fixed carbon content of tailings decreased from 26.99% to 9.68%, and the fixed carbon content (84.95%) was close to that of conventional flotation (85.32%). Compared with the traditional purification method, this strategy reduces the follow-up cleaning steps of tailings, simplifies the process, reduces the use of chemicals, and features strong market competitiveness and green environmental protection advantages. Additionally, the process is simple and low-cost and can be applied to the recycling of other waste graphite, with potential industrial application prospects.

Design and Synthesis of Heterogeneous Frustrated Lewis Pairs for Hydrogenation: From Molecular Immobilization to Defects Engineering

AbstractThe concept of “Frustrated Lewis pairs” (FLPs), which emerged from the discovery that H2 can be reversibly activated by combinations of sterically encumbered Lewis acids and bases. Since then, the field of FLP chemistry has expanded enormously. One of the most remarkable achievements is the development of FLP catalysts for hydrogenation, which are environmentally friendly and have potential industrial application prospects. In recent years, this unique catalysis concept has pushed the study of FLP chemistry to a new direction: heterogeneous FLP catalysts. This review outlines the recent research progress of new strategies to design and synthesize heterogeneous FLPs for hydrogenation reaction, and prospects the development of novel heterogeneous FLP catalysts.

Hierarchically porous amino-functionalized nanoMOF network anchored phosphomolybdic acid for oxidative desulfurization and shaping application

The applications of hierarchically porous metal–organic frameworks (HP-MOFs) against traditional microporous counterparts for oxidative desulfurization (ODS) have triggered wide research interests due to their highly exposed accessible active sites and fast mass transfer of substrate molecules, particularly for the large-sized refractory sulfur compounds. Herein, a series of hierarchically porous amino-functionalized Zr-MOFs (HP-UiO-66-NH2-X) network with controllable mesopore sizes (3.5–9.2 nm) were firstly prepared through a template-free method, which were further utilized as anchoring support to bind the active phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) via the strong host–guest interaction to catalyze the ODS reaction. Benefitting from the hierarchically porous structure, accessible active sites and the strong host–guest interaction, the resultant PMA/HP-UiO-66-NH2-X exhibited excellent ODS performance, of which, the PMA/HP-UiO-66-NH2-9 with an appropriate mesopore size (4.0 nm) showed the highest catalytic activity, achieving a 99.9% removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) within 60 min at 50 °C, far exceeding the microporous sample and PMA/HP-UiO-66. Furthermore, the scavenger experiments confirmed that •OH radical was the main reactive species and the density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that electron transfer (from amino group to PMA) made PMA react more easily with oxidant, thereby generating more •OH radical to promote the ODS reaction. Finally, from the industrial point of view, the powdered MOF nanoparticles (NPs) were in situ grown on the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) substrates and shaped into monolithic MOF-based catalysts, which still exhibited satisfying ODS performance in the case of model real fuel with good reusability, indicating its potential industrial application prospect.

Titanium Tetrachloride‐Based Ionic Liquids Immobilized on Mesoporous Fe‐MCM‐41 for the Heterogeneous Cooperative Synthesis of Dihydroquinazolinones

AbstractIn this study, we report a successful strategy for the generation of a type of multifunctional heterogeneous supported ionic liquids catalysts. The synthesized supported ionic liquids (Fe‐MCM‐41/IL) were used in the catalytic cyclocondensation of 2‐aminobenzamide and various ketones and aldehydes towards the efficient synthesis of the dihydroquinazolinones under green conditions. The influence of the different catalysts and reaction parameters on the catalytic behaviors were sufficiently investigated. The supported catalyst (2)Fe‐MCM‐41/IL(0.6) showed the optimal catalytic efficiency. A hot filtration experiment revealed that the reaction proceeded in a heterogeneous pathway. The catalytic activity of (2)Fe‐MCM‐41/IL(0.6) could be maintained efficiently after recycling up to five consecutive runs under the optimized reaction conditions. Merits of this meticulously designed protocol are the use of novel supported catalyst, easy work‐up process, feasibility and sustainability, indicating its potential industrial application prospect.

Collectorless flotation separation of molybdenite from complex sulfide minerals employing a bi-carbonyl depressant

Molybdenite is usually associated with chalcopyrite and other sulfide minerals, which troubles the efficient utilization of Mo resources. Flotation using various surfactants is a key technology to solve the problem. In this work, acetoacetamide (CSD2) is used as a novel depressant to realize the selective separation of molybdenite from chalcopyrite, galena and pyrite. Any collector is unwanted for the flotation system using CSD2, which not only reduces the cost, but also simplifies the flotation process. Under the optimum and green flotation scheme ([CSD2] = 5 × 10−4 mol/L; the pulp pH = 7), CSD2 can expand the recovery gap between molybdenite and chalcopyrite (or galena or pyrite) to 60% ∼ 80%. The excellent and selective depression of CSD2 has been continued in the flotation systems of mixed minerals and grinding products of quaternary mineral mixtures (GPQMM), confirming the potential industrial application prospect. The selective depression of CSD2 is confirmed by Zeta potential and contact angle measurements. After being treated with CSD2, the Zeta potential and hydrophilicity of the surfaces of chalcopyrite, galena and pyrite have more obvious changes than those of molybdenite surface, meaning a stronger adsorption of CSD2. In addition, the selective depression mechanism of CSD2 is further investigated through Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis and electrostatic potential surface (EPS). The stable adsorption of CSD2 onto the surfaces of chalcopyrite, galena and pyrite is realized through forming six-membered chelation rings by the bi-carbonyl groups (–C=O) in CSD2 molecules and the metal ions on the mineral surfaces. At the same time, the amino group (–NH2) in CSD2 molecule also play an auxiliary role in the adsorption process through weak interaction. However, it is difficult to achieve an effective adsorption of CSD2 onto the surface of molybdenite, due to a lack of exposed metal ions. CSD2, as a high-performance depressant, has an industrial application potential in the collectorless/collector-free flotation separation of Mo-containing sulfide minerals.

Enhanced flotation of coal gasification fine slag based on ultrasonic pretreatment pulp and composite collector

Coal gasification fine slag (CGFS) is a kind of solid waste produced in the coal gasification process, in which residual carbon severely restricts its resource utilization. In this study, residual carbon is enriched from CGFS by a combined flotation process of ultrasonic pretreatment pulp connecting composite collectors. Compared to conventional flotation, the products quality is greatly upgraded, and the concentrates yield is significantly increased by this combined reinforcing process under the same reagent dosage. The combined process can simultaneously improve the structural characteristics and surface chemical properties of the CGFS. Ultrasonic pretreatment pulp shows excellent crushing effect on the closely connected carbon-ash particles. Moreover, the directional adsorption of composite collector on the CGFS surface greatly enhances CGFS floatability. The research results demonstrate that this combined process shows good adaptability to the reinforcement of different CGFS flotation, and it has potential industrial application prospects.

PANF supported polymeric ionic liquids: Amphiphilic microenvironment for efficient preparation of biodiesel

Efficient and green production is extremely essential to the development of society and environment, and supported polymeric ionic liquids as heterogeneous catalysts are the current research hotspot for chemists. In this study, imidazolium ionic liquids were supported on modified polyacrylonitrile fiber (PANF) by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, and a series of fiber-supported basic catalysts (PANF@VIm-nX) were obtained by ion exchange with different anions. The modified fibers were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM, 13C CP-MAS NMR and ICP-MS. The results show that the modified fibers are successful and the catalysts have sufficient active sites and mechanical strength to meet the application requirements. Several supported poly(ionic liquid)s catalysts were used to promote the transesterification of methanol and soybean oil to produce biodiesel. The effects ofionicliquidswith different structures on the reaction yield were sufficiently investigated. The anions of ionic liquids and the length of hydrophobic alkyl chains have synergistic effects on the catalytic performance of the catalyst. The fiber catalyst (PANF@VIm-8OMe) with 8 carbon alkyl chains and OMe anion showed the optimal catalytic efficiency. The yield of biodiesel was as high as 95.4 % within 6 h with a catalyst dosage of 4 wt% and a methanol to oil ratio of 30:1 at 60 ℃. In addition, the fiber catalyst had excellent stability and durability, which could be recycled more than 6 times. Finally, the fiber could be twined on the stirring impeller of the reactor, indicating its potential industrial application prospect.

Engineering Methyltransferase and Sulfoxide Synthase for High-Yield Production of Ergothioneine.

Ergothioneine (ERG) is an unusual sulfur-containing amino acid with antioxidant activity that can be synthesized by certain bacteria and fungi. Microbial fermentation is a promising method for ERG production. In this study, the bifunctional enzyme methyltransferase-sulfoxide synthase NcEgt1 from Neurospora crassa was truncated to obtain sulfoxide synthase TNcEgt1, which showed a higher expression level in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). Then, the genes egtD encoding methyltransferase EgtD and egtE encoding C-S lyase EgtE from Mycobacterium smegmatis were cloned with TncEgt1 into E. coli BL21(DE3) to produce 70 mg/L ERG. To improve ERG production, TNcEgt1 and EgtD were modified, and the resulting mutants were screened with an established high-throughput method which could directly analyze the ERG content in culture broths. After several rounds of mutation and screening, the optimal mutant MD4 was obtained and produced 290 mg/L ERG. Furthermore, a fed-batch culture was conducted in a 5 L bioreactor. After optimizing the fermentation process, the ERG yield reached 5.4 g/L after 94 h of cultivation supplemented with amino acids and glycerol, which is the highest ERG yield reported to date. The results showed that ERG production was significantly improved by modifying the key enzymes, and the engineered strains constructed in this study have potential industrial application prospects.

Enhanced corrosion resistance and self-cleaning properties of superhydrophobic nickel coating fabricated by one-step electrodeposition

In order to fabricate the stable superhydrophobic coatings with antifouling and anticorrosion functions. In this study, a series of nickel-coated superhydrophobic surfaces were designed on carbon steel (CS) using a one-step electrodeposition route. The structures of the prepared superhydrophobic Ni (SN) coatings were identified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the wettability was also tested by contact angle goniometer. The findings displayed that the hierarchical micro-flower structures of the optimal SN coating (0.64 A of circuit density and 9.5 min of deposition time) imparted it excellent superhydrophobic property; the water contact angle (CA) and sliding angle (SA) were 168 ± 1.1° and 4.7 ± 0.6°, respectively. The optimal SN coating was found to have superior mechanical and chemical stabilities, as tested by knife scratching, adhesive tape peeling, sandpaper abrasion, and chemical corrosion resistance. Additionally, the optimal SN coating exhibited outstanding self-cleaning property, anti-corrosion, and superhydrophobic stability. Based on these results, it appears that SN coating prepared by one-step electrodeposition can solve the defect of insufficient long-term durability of electrodepositied superhydrophobic coatings, and has potential industrial application prospects.

Effects of Ultrasound-Assisted Immersion Freezing on the Protein Structure, Physicochemical Properties and Muscle Quality of the Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians) during Frozen Storage

In this study, the comparison effects of ultrasound-assisted immersion freezing (UIF) at different ultrasonic power, immersion freezing (IF), and air freezing (AF) on the protein thermal stability, protein structure, and physicochemical properties of adductor muscle of scallop (Argopecten irradians) (AMS) during frozen storage were investigated. Principal component analysis and the Taylor diagram were used to comprehensively analyze all the indicators tested. The results showed that the UIF at 150 W (UIF-150) treatment was the most effective way to delay the quality deterioration of AMS during 90-day frozen storage. This was mainly because, compared to AF and IF treatments, UIF-150 treatment more effectively minimized the changes in the primary, secondary and tertiary structures of myofibrillar proteins, and it preserved the protein thermal stability of AMS by producing small and regular ice crystals in the AMS tissue during the freezing process. Moreover, the results of physicochemical properties indicated that UIF-150 treatment significantly inhibited the fat oxidation and microbiological activities of frozen AMS, and it finally maintained the microstructure and texture of AMS during frozen storage. Overall, UIF-150 has potential industrial application prospects in the rapid freezing and quality preservation of scallops.

Trypsin/Zn3(PO4)2 Hybrid Nanoflowers: Controlled Synthesis and Excellent Performance as an Immobilized Enzyme.

Immobilized enzymes are a significant technological approach to retain enzyme activity and reduce enzyme catalytic cost. In this work, trypsin-incorporated Zn3(PO4)2 hybrid nanoflowers were prepared via mild precipitation and coordination reactions. The controllable preparation of hybrid nanoflowers was achieved by systematically investigating the effects of the raw-material ratio, material concentration and reaction temperature on product morphology and physicochemical properties. The enzyme content of hybrid nanoflowers was about 6.5%, and the maximum specific surface area reached 68.35 m2/g. The hybrid nanoflowers exhibit excellent catalytic activity and environmental tolerance compared to free trypsin, which was attributed to the orderly accumulation of nanosheets and proper anchoring formation. Further, the enzyme activity retention rate was still higher than 80% after 12 repeated uses. Therefore, trypsin/Zn3(PO4)2 hybrid nanoflowers—which combine functionalities of excellent heat resistance, storage stability and reusability—exhibit potential industrial application prospects.

Highly Dispersed and Stable Hydrotalcite-Derived NiCu/MgAlO Alloy Catalyst for Efficient Amination of Cyclohexanol to Cyclohexylamine in the Vapor Phase

Developing a mild and efficient method for highly selective amination of alcohols to amines as important versatile compounds is very interesting in the organic synthesis field. In this work, we have developed a simple and efficient approach for high-yield preparation of cyclohexylamine from the vapor-phase catalytic amination of cyclohexanol with ammonia under atmospheric pressure. The results indicated that the hydrotalcite-derived NiCu/MgAlO alloy catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance and stability, and 98% cyclohexanol conversion with 95% selectivity toward cyclohexylamine had still been maintained after running for over 300 h at 170 °C. The super high activity and stability of the NiCu/MgAlO catalyst are attributed to the active Ni–Cu alloy nanoparticles with high dispersion and uniform particle size (about 4 nm). DFT calculation results indicated the Ni site of the NiCu alloy (111) facet as the main catalytic active site. The energy profiles for the potential comparative free energy of cyclohexanol to cyclohexylamine on the NiCu alloy (111) facet were calculated. This approach employing a highly dispersed and stable Ni–Cu bimetallic alloy catalyst for efficient amination of cyclohexanol to cyclohexylamine in the vapor phase is promising and has potential industrial application prospects. Especially, the designed Ni–Cu alloy catalyst can also be applied in the amination of other alcohols with ammonia to prepare the corresponding organic amines.

Wax Separated Effectively from Fischer-Tropsch Wax Residue by Solvent Desorption: Thermodynamic and Kinetic Analysis

The separation and recycling of effective resources in Fischer-Tropsch wax residue (FTWR) are urgent because of the environmental hazards and energy waste they bring. In this study, organic solvents are used to separate recyclable resources from FTWR efficiently, achieving the goals of “Energy Recycle” and “Fisher-Tropsch Wax Residue Treatment”. The response surface methodology (RSM) response surface analysis model accurately evaluates the relationship among temperature, residence time, liquid–solid ratio, and desorption rate and obtains the best process parameters. The results show that the product yield can reach 82.28% under the conditions of 80 °C, 4 h, and the liquid–solid ratio of 24.4 mL/g. Through the kinetic analysis of the desorption process of FTWR, the results show that the desorption process conforms to the pseudo second-order kinetic model and the internal diffusion model. The thermodynamic function results showed that there were not only van der Waals forces in the desorption process, but other strong interaction forces such as hydrogen bonds. In addition, Langmuir, Freundlich, and BET equations are used to describe the desorption equilibrium. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the pore structure of FTWR during desorption. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis confirmed that the desorption product’s main component was hydrocarbons (50.38 wt%). Furthermore, naphthenic (22.95 wt%), primary alcohol (11.62 wt%), esters (8.7 wt%), and aromatic hydrocarbons (6.35 wt%) compounds were found and can be further purified and applied to other industrial fields. This study shows that using petroleum ether to separate and recover clean resources from Fischer-Tropsch wax residue is feasible and efficient and has potential industrial application prospects.

Effects of glycation and acylation on the structural characteristics and physicochemical properties of soy protein isolate.

This study examined the effects of different sequential treatments of dextran glycation and succinic anhydride acylation on the structure and physicochemical properties of soy protein isolate (SPI). The tested properties included electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy, surface hydrophobicity (H0 ), free sulfhydryl (-SH), solubility, interfacial properties, rheological properties, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the two treatments significantly improved the structure and functional characteristics of the SPI. The order of the methods had an important effect on the SPI. The lowest H0 (231.76± 11.92), the highest free -SH content (3.09± 0.09µmol/g), and the highest solubility at pH=7 (77± 3.97%) were obtained when the acylation treatment was followed by the glycation treatment. Emulsification, emulsion stability, foaming, and foam stability were also the highest. Glycation and acylation caused the viscosity coefficient (k) of the SPI solution to decrease compared with SPI alone, but the flow index (n) value increased, and the sum G' value of the conjugate system decreased as gel time increased. SEM showed that its microstructure has changed significantly. Therefore, this research provided an effective method for improving the functional characteristics of SPI and had potential industrial application prospects. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Glycation and acylation of soybean protein isolate improved the chemical modification method of protein, improved the functional properties of soybean protein, widened its application in food and materials, and provided a new idea for the further development and utilization of soybean protein.

Effects of Cavitation Jet Treatment on the Structure and Emulsification Properties of Oxidized Soy Protein Isolate.

This study examined the ability of cavitation jet processing to regulate the oxidation concentrations with 2,2’-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) (0.2, 1, and 5 mmol/L) and the structure and emulsification of soy protein isolate (SPI). The tested properties included particle size distribution, hydrophobic properties (sulfhydryl group (SH) and disulfide bond (S-S) contents, surface hydrophobicity (H0)), emulsifying properties (particle size and ζ-potential of emulsions, emulsification activity index (EAI), and emulsification stability index (ESI)), as well as conformational characteristics. The high shear force of cavitation jet treatment reduced the particle size of oxidized SPI and distributed uniformly. Cavitation jet (90 MPa)-treated SPI (AAPH with 1 mmol/L) demonstrated a high H0 (4688.70 ± 84.60), high EAI (71.78 ± 1.52 m2/g), and high ESI (86.73 ± 0.97%). The ordered secondary structure (α-helix and β-turn content) of SPI was enhanced by the cavitation jet. Meanwhile, the distribution of SPI-oxidized aggregates was observed under an atomic force microscope. Therefore, cavitation jet processing combined with oxidation treatment is an effective method to improve the characteristics of SPI and has potential industrial application prospects.

Micro Electrochemical Milling of Micro Metal Parts with Rotating Ultrasonic Electrode.

With the rapid development of MEMS, the demand for metal microstructure is increasing. Micro electrochemical milling technology (MECM) is capable of manufacturing micro metallic devices or components based on the principle of electrochemical anode dissolution. To improve the capacity of MECM, this paper presents a compound method named ultrasonic vibration-assisted micro electrochemical milling technology (UA-MECM). Firstly, the simulation and mathematical model of UA-MECM process is established to explain the mechanism of ultrasonic vibration on micro electrochemical milling. Then, the effects of ultrasonic parameters, electrical parameters and feedrate on machining localization and surface quality are discussed considering sets of experiments. The surface roughness was effectively reduced from Ra 0.83 to Ra 0.26 µm with the addition of ultrasonic vibration. It turns out that ultrasonic vibration can obviously improve machining precision, efficiency and quality. Finally, two- and three-dimensional microstructures with good surface quality were successful fabricated. It shows that ultrasonic vibration-assisted electrochemical milling technology has excellent machining performance, which has potential and broad industrial application prospects.

Clean products from coal gasification waste by flotation using waste engine oil as collector: Synergetic cleaner disposal of wastes

Synergetic cleaner disposal of coal gasification waste and waste engine oil is urgent, as the harmfulness to environment and lacks of clean and efficient technique. In this work, coal gasification fine slag was divided to two clean products without byproducts or wastes by flotation using waste engine oil as flotation collector, achieved the goals of “Carbons Recycle” and “Waste Disposal by Waste”. The waste engine oil improved the flotation property of the −0.5 mm fraction coal gasification fine slag, thereby a flotation concentrate with a loss-on ignition of 88.86 wt% and recovery of 92.13 wt% was produced at the waste engine oil dosage of 3 kg/t. The main components of waste engine oil were hydrocarbons, esters, and heteroatom-containing species, as confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The mechanism of flotation using waste engine oil as a collector for the coal gasification fine slag particles was examined via the measurement of contact angles and wrap angles. The qualified tailings (i.e. flotation tailings and +0.5 mm fraction coal gasification fine slag) with loss-on ignition of less than 5 wt% were also obtained to the standard for direct utilization in building materials. Economic evaluation indicates that the net profit would reach 12309.46 USD/h, with a coal gasification fine slag raw capacity of 400 t/h. This work demonstrates that the application of waste engine oil in coal gasification fine slag flotation is feasible, efficient, economical, and eco-friendly, and it has potential industrial application prospects.

Designing anti-migration furan-based plasticizers and their plasticization properties in poly (vinyl chloride) blends

The use of bio-based plasticizers with low toxicity and good compatibility with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has attracted more attention in the recent years. With bio-based 2, 5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and butyl oligo-glycol ethers as raw materials, three liquid furan-based plasticizers of di(butyl glycol) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate, di(butyldiglycol) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate and di(butyltriglycol) furan-2,5-dicarboxylate were synthesized by direct esterification. The chemical structure of three plasticizers was characterized with FTIR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. From DMA measurement, the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the plasticized PVC was decreased gradually when furan-based plasticizers were added to PVC formulation from 30 up to 50 phr. Due to lots of ether bonds in furan-based plasticizers, they expressed over two-fold lower migration in organic solvent compared with the traditional plasticizer diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP). Through the characterization of elongation at break, hardness and thermal stability, furan-based plasticizers presented the same plasticization properties as DEHP, and had potential industrial application prospects.

Wind Power Prediction for Wind Farm Clusters Based on the Multifeature Similarity Matching Method

Regional wind power prediction (WPP) is conducive to achieving scientific dispatch of the power system as well as improving its reliability. Data mining based on a large number of samples is an effective way to improve the accuracy of WPP. A new regional power forecasting method in the context of data mining is proposed in the article. First, a previously described regional WPP method, single feature similarity matching (SFSM) method, is analyzed and a new multifeature similarity matching (MFSM) method is proposed. Second, the optimization and analysis processes of four key parameters in the MFSM method are proposed and the impact of each key parameter on prediction error and the applicability of the method under different regional scales is analyzed. Finally, the new method and the optimization and analysis processes are verified by wind farm clusters, composed of 52 wind farms in northeast China, and the new method is compared with the conventional method, such as additive method, statistical up-scaling method, and the SFSM method. The results show that the improved MFSM method is superior to the conventional prediction method, whereby the root mean square error (RMSE) of 0 to 2 h is reduced by 3.65% and the RMSE of 0 to 4 h is reduced by 1.56%. The new method has been proved to be an effective WPP method for wind farm clusters and has potential industrial application prospects.