Separate Cycles Research Articles

Dual-functional underliquid superhydrophobic and superoleophobic stainless steel mesh decorated with Ni3S2 nanorods for continuous oil/water separation

Frequent oil leakages and ever-increasing oily sewage have brought about serious damage to the ecological balance and human health. Therefore, effective and durable separation strategies and use of effective materials are highly desirable. In this work, a superwetting Ni3S2 coating was fabricated on stainless steel mesh (SSM) to achieve continuous oil/water separation. This mesh was superoleophilic in air but superhydrophobic and superoleophobic under oil and water. Once immersed in a liquid, oil/water droplets displayed large contact angles and lower adhesion. A bidirectional T-tube device integrated with two meshes at the two exit ends with inverse wettability was employed to separate oil/water mixtures. This system displayed high separation efficiencies and flux regardless of the oil density, and the separation efficiency was largely maintained after 100 cycles of separation. The same device could also separate immiscible organic solvents. Moreover, the Ni3S2@SSM showed photocatalysis to degrade water-soluble dyes targeting to further relief the water pollution. This multi-superwetting Ni3S2@SSM is expected to be a promising material for practical oil/water separation.

Versatile and robust poly(ionic liquid) coatings with intelligent superhydrophilicity/superhydrophobicity switch in high-efficient oil-water separation

• Versatile methods are applied on different substrates to fabricate intelligent materials for oil-water separation. • The PCMs exhibited switchable superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic properties . • The PCMs could switch the separation performances between “oil-removing” and “water removing” by anion exchange. • The PCMs would meet different requirements in oil-water separations: fast separation, ultra-efficient separation, water/oil adsorption and recycle . Superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic surfaces with unique superiority have been applied for oil-water separation over a long time. Facing the increasingly complicated requirements in diverse separation fields, developing intelligent surfaces with switchable superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic properties are highly needed. In this work, versatile and robust poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) coatings were designed and a series of intelligent materials with switchable superwettabilities were generated for high-efficient oil-water separation. The PIL coatings were obtained by polymerization of PIL monomer on the roughened GO sheets, for which were realized by the immobilization of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. Three materials with different structures (cotton fabric (CF), nylon fabric (NF) and cotton ball (CB)) were chosen as the coating substrates. After “dip-coating” process, the PIL coated materials (PCMs) exhibited switchable superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic performances due to the anion-responsive behavior of PIL and the roughness enhanced effect. Thus, the PCMs showed high-efficient separation performances upon multiple oil-water separation cycles, and the separation could be switched between “water-removing” and “oil-removing” by anion exchange. Meanwhile, the PIL@CF had high permeate fluxes, which could separate layered water-oil mixtures rapidly under gravity; the PIL@NF had the highest separation efficiency; the PIL@CB possessed great potential to be used as efficient absorbents for water/oil adsorption and recycle.

Facile fabrication of multi superlyophobic nano soil coated-mesh surface with excellent corrosion resistance for efficient immiscible liquids separation

A novel strategy for spraying nanosized soil particles on steel mesh to prepare the superlyophobic soil mesh by a facile surface treatment technology, and successfully apply it to various immiscible liquids separation. • A multifunctional, sustainable material for immiscible liquid mixtures separation. • Under nonpolar (polar) liquid superlyophobicity of polar (nonpolar) liquid. • Used chemical properties-structure relationships to give material performance. • Low cost manufacturing, environment friendly, dimplicity of operator. • Good corrosion resistance in acidic, alkaline and high salt environment. Immiscible liquids separation has recently become a worldwide challenge due to the expanding industrial activity. It is still thorny to put forward a universal strategy for constructing multi-superlyophobic surfaces in immiscible liquids systems due to a thermodynamic contradiction. Herein, a low-cost, environmentally friendly pre-wetted nanosized soil coated-mesh (NSCM) was prepared, which shows the property of under-nonpolar-liquid superlyophobic to polar liquid, or under-polar-liquid superlyophobic to nonpolar liquid. The NSCM was fabricated in aqueous solutions by spraying melamine formaldehyde resin modified nanosized soil particles on a stainless-steel mesh for selective immiscible liquid separation. After the NSCM is prewetted with heavy liquid, heavy liquid can be removed from the light immiscible liquid mixtures by gravity. The as-prepared NSCM showed a high separation efficiency of above 99% for a series of immiscible liquids mixtures, even after 60 separation cycles. More importantly, the electrochemical tests indicated that the NSCM exhibited the outstanding durability after being immersed in alkali (pH = 10.0, NaOH), acidic (pH = 4.0, HCl) and high-concentrated salt solutions (3.5 wt% NaCl) for 30 days. The calculated R t values were approximately 1.04 × 10 7 , 2.65 × 10 6 and 7.59 × 10 5 Ω·cm 2 , respectively. And the corresponding corrosion rates were 0.013712, 0.96438, and 2.5818 μm/year, respectively. These excellent performances of the NSCM make it an ideal candidate material for separation, and even in a wider field of sea wastewater treatment.

Mechanism of Extractive Separation of Light Cycle Oil Using a Deep Eutectic Solvent Composed of Tetrabutylphosphonium Bromide and Levulinic Acid

To achieve maximum usage and economically upgrade light cycle oil, it is necessary to separate light cycle oil components into nonaromatic and aromatic fractions. A deep eutectic solvent composed of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide and levulinic acid exhibited excellent extraction performance in separating light cycle oil components. In this work, the mechanisms of deep eutectic solvent formation and light cycle oil separation are investigated using characterization analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. Both Fourier-transform infrared spectra and molecular dynamics simulation results indicate that the main driving force for deep eutectic solvent formation is hydrogen-bonding interactions between the Br– anion of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide and the carboxyl group (−COOH) of levulinic acid. On the other hand, while the TBP+ cation of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide and the carbonyl group (−C═O) of levulinic acid are less likely to contribute to deep eutectic solvent formation, they are more likely to interact with the aromatic ring of tetralin via CH−π and π–π interactions, respectively. The results suggest that each functional group of tetrabutylphosphonium bromide and levulinic acid plays an essential role either in deep eutectic solvent formation or in aromatic compound extraction, which provides insights into the mechanism of extractive separation of light cycle oil components using deep eutectic solvents.

Superhydrophobic palmitic acid modified Cu(OH)2/CuS nanocomposite-coated copper foam for efficient separation of oily wastewater

Developing an efficient, simple, and low-cost oil-water separation technologies is critical to address the challenges of oily wastewater treatment. In this work, a nanoflower-like CuS embedded into Cu(OH)2 nanowire arrays (Cu(OH)2/CuS) were grown on the surfaces of copper foam (CF) by combination of chemical etching and ion exchange methods, and subsequent modification with palmitic acid (PA) was performed to achieve superhydrophobic CF/Cu(OH)2/CuS-PA oil-adsorption materials. The reaction conditions of ion exchange such as the Na2S concentration and immersion time were demonstrated to be key factors to form hierarchical Cu(OH)2/CuS nanowire arrays, and thus further significantly influenced the hydrophobicity of the copper foam. Such superhydrophobic CF/Cu(OH)2/CuS-PA with a static water contact angle of 153.4° delivered a high separation efficiency of oil-water mixtures at 98.8%, and the separation efficiency was always up to 97.6% for various water-in-oil emulsions. After operating successive 30 cycles of oil-water separation, the high separation efficiency remained unchanged. The CF/Cu(OH)2/CuS-PA also presented high stability, good anti-corrosion and mechanical properties in harsh environments. Thus, this superhydrophobic copper foam offers a potentially promising three-dimensional adsorbent for practical application of spill oil recovery and oil/water separation.

Fabrication of CuO mesh for efficient oil/water separation

In this work, we have fabricated superhydrophobic copper oxide mesh by simply annealing copper mesh followed by surface modification with octadecanoic acid. The XRD analysis of the sample revealed the presence of cubic Cu2O and monoclinic CuO phases of copper oxide. The FESEM analysis of the samples demonstrated the presence of wire-like structures of copper oxide. The successful deposition of octadecanoic acid was confirmed by FT-IR analysis. The wettability study has confirmed that the sample modified with octadecanoic acid showed excellent superhydrophobic behavior with a water contact angle of 156° and superoleophilic behavior with oil contact angles of 0°. Owing to the excellent superhydrophobic-superoleophilic behavior, the modified copper oxide mesh allows oil to penetrate while restricting the passage of water through its surface, which results in the separation of the oil/water mixture. The modified mesh showed ∼98% separation efficiency and high flux for different oil/water mixtures. Moreover, this mesh exhibited excellent recyclability by maintaining its high efficiency even after 10 separation cycles. Owing to its high separation efficiency (∼98%), recyclability and high flux, the modified copper oxide mesh meets the current need for the separation of oil/water mixtures in real-world applications.

The voluminous 2.81–2.71 Ga Goldfields Tholeiitic Super Event: Implications for basin architecture in the Yilgarn Craton and global correlations

The time-interval between 2.8 and 2.7 Ga is associated with the worldwide appearance of thick tholeiite-komatiite successions. However, their origin and affiliation, if any, is poorly understood. The Eastern Goldfields Superterrane of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, is dominated by the 2.7 Ga Kalgoorlie and Kurnalpi terranes, both of which consist of well-preserved mafic-ultramafic volcano-stratigraphy. On a local scale, these supracrustal sequences permit reconstruction of volcano-sedimentary environments, which provides important constraints to the local conditions of magmatism and/or deposition. Regionally, these observations can be used to test correlations between greenstone belts, constrain basin architecture and the extent of volcanism. Studies of this nature provide important insights to global, Archean volcano-sedimentary processes.Here we present an integrated field, geochemical and U-Pb geochronological study from the well-preserved West Laverton Greenstone Belt in the Kurnalpi Terrane and compare it to the relatively well constrained Kalgoorlie Terrane. The sequence comprises three volcanic ‘events’ consisting dominantly of low-Th tholeiitic basalt and komatiite derived from depleted mantle sources. Magmatism commenced after 2854 ± 4 Ma and ceased by 2717 ± 4 Ma. Prominent banded iron formations separate volcanic cycles, indicating an overall quiescent subaqueous setting.The West Laverton Sequence is correlated with volcanic events in the neighbouring Kalgoorlie Terrane, where pre-existing basement with remarkably similar character is documented near Norseman, over 360 km away. Both terranes contain basal paragneiss (2.96–2.93 Ga) and epiclastic sediments (∼2.93–2.85 Ga) that are overlain by three variably preserved and widespread tholeiite-dominated volcanic events, here defined as the 2.81–2.71 Ga ‘Goldfields Tholeiitic Super Event’. These correlations support an autochthonous setting for the Kalgoorlie and Kurnalpi terranes with the eruption of volcanic tholeiites onto submerged continental crust.Voluminous tholeiitic volcanism at 2.8–2.7 Ga was a global event. The Zimbabwe and Slave cratons preserve remarkably similar basement overlain by thick basaltic units, that are compositionally similar to the ‘Goldfields Tholeiitic Super Event’. This correlation indicates that a globally significant rifting event at 2.8–2.7 Ga affected much of the continental crust extant.

Mussel-Inspired Fabrication of PDA@PAN Electrospun Nanofibrous Membrane for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation.

Emulsified oily wastewater threatens human health seriously, and traditional technologies are unable to separate emulsion containing small sized oil droplets. Currently, oil–water emulsions are usually separated by special wettability membranes, and researchers are devoted to developing membranes with excellent antifouling performance and high permeability. Herein, a novel, simple and low-cost method has been proposed for the separation of emulsion containing surfactants. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers were prepared via electrospinning and then coated by polydopamine (PDA) by using self-polymerization reactions in aqueous solutions. The morphology, structure and oil-in-water emulsion separation properties of the as-prepared PDA@PAN nanofibrous membrane were tested. The results show that PDA@PAN nanofibrous membrane has superhydrophilicity and almost no adhesion to crude oil in water, which exhibits excellent oil–water separation ability. The permeability and separation efficiency of n-hexane/water emulsion are up to 1570 Lm−2 h−1 bar−1 and 96.1%, respectively. Furthermore, after 10 cycles of separation, the permeability and separation efficiency values do not decrease significantly, indicating its good recycling performance. This research develops a new method for preparing oil–water separation membrane, which can be used for efficient oil-in-water emulsion separation.

Evaluation of superhydrophobicity of chemical-resistant magnetic spiky nickel nanowires grafted with silane coupling agent for highly efficient oil/water separation

In the present study, superhydrophobic magnetic spiky nickel nanowires were fabricated using a one-pot hydrothermal process and grafted with octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) coupling agent. In a systematic investigation, the effects of ODTS concentration, sonication time, and modifying solution volume on the surface wettability of the samples have been investigated. XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDS, XPS, and VSM analyses were conducted to confirm the self-assembled monolayer deposition of silane coupling agent and evaluating the morphological and chemical features of the produced sample before and after surface modification. Superhydrophobicity analysis of the magnetic spiky nickel nanowires grafted with ODTS coupling agent indicated that the water contact angle (WCA) and the contact angle hysteresis (CAH) values were 167.34 ± 1.23° and 1.29 ± 0.9°, respectively achieved under the best-operating conditions including ODTS concentration of 12.5 mM, reaction time of 60 min, and ODTS/toluene solution volume of 10 mL. The prepared spiky nickel nanowires were soaked in various pH value adjusted media ranging from 2 to 12 for 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h. Results indicated excellent chemical stability of the wetting properties (WCA>150° and CAH<10°). Also, gravity-driven dichloromethane and chloroform/water mixture separation were conducted using superhydrophobic layered-spiky nickel nanowires, which showed efficient fluxes of 5203.43±22 and 4327.25±41 L m−2 h−1, respectively. The modified sample also showed good reusability after twenty oil/water separation cycles, highlighting the prepared nanospiky materials for industrial applications.

Emulsion templated dual crosslinked core-sheath fibrous matrices for efficient oil/water separation

Oil-contaminated water and its purification is a major challenge and efforts in this direction have accumulated immensely over past decades as the depletion of freshwater resources is also seen in parallel. Electrospun fibrous matrices used for this purpose offer several attractive features including porous nature, high surface area, ease of fabrication and functionalization. However, poor mechanical strength and separation capacity of electrospun matrices have restricted their use. In this report, fabrication of robust, dual crosslinked fibrous matrices via emulsion electrospinning is presented. A unique near-gel resin based oil-in-water emulsion was developed as the precursor for electrospinning. Fibres had uniform core-sheath morphology formed by crosslinked polystyrene as core and crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol as sheath, thereby having distinct domains to selectively adsorb oil and water. Post-electrospinning crosslinking was optimized to achieve matrices of excellent dimensional stability, selective wettability, and hydration ability. The dual crosslinked structure of the nanofibres was responsible for not only high oil adsorption (≈ 3305%) but also efficient oil/water emulsion separation with 99% separation efficiency and a flux up to 3000 L m−2 h−1. The matrices were successfully used up to 10 separation cycles without any structural disintegration or decline in separation performance, thereby reflecting their suitability for oil/water separation.

PH-responsive self-healing of chemically modified tragacanth gum hydrogels as antibiotic release system

Herein, we reported pH-responsive self-healing hydrogels from cross-linked tragacanth gum (TG) as a controlled antibiotic release system using varying gum concentrations at changing temperatures using both glutaraldehyde and citric acid. TG-HGs can sustain multiple cycles of healing and separation by relatively maintaining their mechanical and healing properties. Cefazolin (Cf) loaded TG-HGs showed a respectively slow drug release over 8–24 h depend on the TG concentration. Prepared cf-loaded hydrogels showed excellent antibacterial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacterium, and resulted in high mortality (99.3%) on S. aureus with a robust inhibition of biofilm formation.

A simple and green preparation of red mud-coated membrane for efficient separation of oil-in-water emulsions

This study presented a novel, low-cost and environmentally-friendly underwater superoleophobic membrane for influential separation of oil-in-water emulsions. The membrane was prepared by single-step deposition of waste red mud with sodium alginate on the nitrocellulose support through a vacuum pumping. The red mud-coated membrane had a superamphiphilic characteristic in air, whereas it demonstrated an underwater superoleophobic feature with contact angle values above 159( ± 2)°. The prepared membranes with different amount of red mud showed effective separation performance having rejection and flux values greater than (98.5% and 945 L/m2 h; 99.1% and 1033 L/m2 h; 93.7% and 1186 L/m2 h; 99.8% and 1224 L/m2 h; 99.9% and 1028 L/m2 h) for emulsions of various oils and solvents (diesel, mineral oil, toluene, kerosene and petroleum ether)-in-water, respectively. The oil rejection and permeate flux remained stable at the end of 5 cycles of the emulsion separation and also in the corrosive solutions, including NaOH, HCl and NaCl at 0.5 M of each one. Consequently, the usage of waste red mud in the preparation of underwater superoleophobic membrane through the suggested way can be offered as economical, practical and environmentally benign option for both implementing the efficient separation of oil-in-water emulsions and reuse of the industrial by-products.

Fabrication of Yolk-Shell Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni Microspheres for Efficient Purification of Histidine-Rich Proteins.

Magnetic materials perform well in the purification of histidine-rich proteins (His-proteins). In this work, a facile fabrication of yolk-shell magnetic Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni microspheres for the efficient purification of His-proteins has been reported. Yolk-shell Fe3O4@NiSiO3 microspheres were prepared via hydrothermal reaction. Then Ni nanoparticles (NPs) were loaded on Fe3O4@NiSiO3 microspheres after the adsorption and in situ reduction of nickel acetylacetonate. The yolk-shell Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni microspheres had a hierarchical flower-like structure and large cavities. The size of the cavity depended on the reaction time. This indicated that the microspheres had a large specific surface area for loading of more Ni NPs, which was crucial to the high His-protein adsorption capacity of Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni microspheres. Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni microspheres had a high adsorption capacity for bovine hemoglobin (BHb, 2822 mg/g), which was better than the values of other His-protein adsorbents. Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni microspheres still had a high BHb separation efficiency after seven separation cycles, indicating its good reusability and stability. Therefore, the as-prepared bifunctional yolk-shell Fe3O4@NiSiO3/Ni microspheres exhibited great practical application value for His-protein purification.

Robust antifouling NH2-MIL-88B coated quartz fibrous membrane for efficient gravity-driven oil-water emulsion separation

Here, a robust antifouling NH2-MIL-88B coated quartz fibrous membrane (NM88B@QFM) was developed for efficient oil-water emulsion separation via a one-step solvothermal method. The effects of NM88B precursor concentration on the morphology and surface wettability of the membranes were investigated. The prepared NM88B@QFM showed good photo-Fenton self-cleaning ability and superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity with water contact angle and underwater oil contact angle of 0° and 161.3°, respectively. The NM88B@QFM exhibited high separation efficiencies and high permeation fluxes (up to 99.4% and above 350 L m−2 h−1, respectively for a series of surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions under solely gravity-driven separation. Moreover, the NM88B@QFM showed good antifouling self-cleaning ability because Fenton-like catalytic NM88B can degrade the foulant on the membrane surface, enabling it to maintain its performance over many separation cycles. In view of the advantages of NM88B@QFM such as high separation efficiency, excellent self-cleaning and gravity self-driven performance, this type of membrane appears to be a promising candidate for low energy input, long-lasting oil-water separation.

Reinforcing hydration layer on membrane surface via nano-capturing and hydrothermal crosslinking for fouling reduction

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)@Fe3O4 composite membranes were prepared by phase inversion, followed by crosslinking with hydrophilic silane-based prepolymers. The influences of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) on morphology, chemistry, hydrophilicity, electric charge and roughness of membrane surfaces were investigated by a number of characterization techniques. The results revealed that the dispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles reduced the micropores of the composite membrane and maintained the membrane surface roughness. Meanwhile, the dispersed Fe3O4 enabled the membrane to capture more hydrophilic silane-based prepolymers, thereby leading to a robust, dense and zwitterionic characteristic hydration layer on the membrane surface. The reinforced hydration layer imparted the membrane surface with more stable water permeability and higher rejections to humic acid (HA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and soybean oil during five cycles of cross-flow separation. According to the resistance-in-series model, the anti-oil-fouling mechanism of the membrane relied on manipulating the hydration layer on the membrane surface to prevent the foulants from approaching the membrane surface. The surface-immobilized Fe3O4 facilitated the hydration layer to repel HA and BSA to permeate through the membrane via chelation and adsorption, and then reduced the membrane internal fouling. Our findings provide a new strategy to construct antifouling membrane surfaces by properly tailoring the strength and thickness of the surface hydration layer.

A novel process simulation model for hydrogen production via reforming of biomass gasification tar

Process modeling and simulation are very important for new designs and estimation of operating variables. This study describes a new process for the production of hydrogen from lignocellulosic biomass gasification tars. The main focus of this research is to increase hydrogen production and improve the overall energy efficiency of the process. In this study, Aspen HYSYS software was used for simulation. The integration structure presented in this research includes sections like tar reforming and ash separation (Ash), combined heat and power cycle (CHP), hydrogen sulfide removal unit (HRU), water-gas shift (WGS) reactor, and gas compression as well as hydrogen separation from a mixture of gases in pressure swing adsorption (PSA). It was found that the addition of CHP cycle and the use of the plug flow reactor (PFR) model, firstly, increased the overall energy efficiency of the process by 63% compared to 29.2% of the base process. Secondly it increased the amount of hydrogen production by 0.518 kmol (H2)/kmol Tar as compared with 0.475 of the base process. Process analysis also demonstrated that the integrated process of hydrogen production from biomass gasification tars is carbon neutral.

Facile fabrication of superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic surfaces on cotton fabrics for effective oil/water separation with excellent anti-contamination ability

Freshwater contamination by spilling oil and scarcity have progressively exasperated the global water crisis. Developing a facile method to remediate polluted water as well as converting the abundant oily wastewater to freshwater has become a matter of urgency. Here we developed a cotton fabric based membrane (ZnO@CF) with special wettability and excellent anti-contamination ability by using zinc chloride aqueous solution as a micro-dissolving agent and zinc source, and using gaseous ammonia as alkali source. Micro/nano structure zinc oxide was in-situ grown on the fibers as superhydrophilic matter as well as enabling the membrane with photocatalytic property. The resulting cotton fabrics (ZnO@CF) are superhydrophilic and superoleophobic underwater with a water droplet spread of 0.3 s and an underwater oleophobic angle of 156.3°. ZnO@CF could separate different oil-water mixtures with separation efficiency higher than 99.3% and a permeate flux up to 940 L m −2 h −1 solely driven by gravity. After three cycles of separation, ZnO@CF still maintained a separation efficiency of about 99.2% and little flux variety, suggesting its fantabulous stability for repeated application. Impressively, ZnO@CF also demonstrated great anti-contamination abilities, including resistance to oil contamination and degradation of dyes staining. Even immersed in the dye aqueous solution, ZnO@CF was capable to separate oil-water mixture containing dyestuff after UV assisted degradation, and did not show any worsening in separation performances. These obvious advantages together with the potential for facile production make the membrane promising toward efficient oil-water separation in practical applications.

"A Review Paper on the Difference between Single-Cycle and Multi Cycle Processor"

The processors are all important components of computer architecture. Computer architecture is a specification that describes how hardware and software technologies are connected to create a computer platform. It refers to a system that processes any fetched instruction. There are many different types of processors, and we shall examine the distinctions between single cycle and multi-cycle processors in this article. Former processors only executed an instruction in a single clock cycle, while multi-cycle processors disassembled the instructions into multiple functional pieces and then executed each portion in a separate clock cycle. Because the multicycle processor breaks down each instruction into smaller pieces, the amount of hardware required is decreased, and several registers are added to store data that may be utilized in the execution of subsequent instructions. A multicycle processor executes instructions in smaller clock cycles than a single cycle processor, according to the proposed study.

HEAT TRANSFER TO A BOILING LIQUID – NUMERICAL STUDY

Due to extensive research efforts within the past thirty years, the mechanisms by which bubbles transfer energy during pool boiling are relatively well understood and have various applications in reactors, rockets, distillation, air separation, refrigeration and power cycles. In this paper, CFD analysis of heat transfer characteristics in nucleate pool boiling of saturated water in atmospheric conditions is performed in order to find out the influence of heat flux intensity on pool boiling dynamics. The investigation is carried out for four cases of different heat flux intensities and obtained results for velocity fields of liquid and void fractions are discussed. Grid independent test is also performed to improve the accuracy of calculation. In this way, complete picture of two-phase mixture behaviour on heated wall is represented.

Fatty alcohol/water reaction-separation platform to produce propylene carbonate from captured CO2 using a hydrophobic ionic liquid

• A novel and sustainable biphasic platform to CO 2 conversion and catalyst regeneration is created. • COSMO-RS predicted a biphasic system (fatty alcohol/water) to separate propylene carbonate and catalyst. • Fatty alcohol media synergistically improves catalytic activity enhancing CO 2 conversion from 68 to 86%. • Five consecutive reaction + separation cycles validate the stability of the catalytic/separation system. • Open possibilities to integrate chemical capture and conversion with a bifunctional chemical absorbent-catalyst. The combined use of a hydrophobic ionic liquid catalyst and a fatty alcohol is presented to synergistically improve cycloaddition reaction of CO 2 to epoxides producing cyclic carbonates and envision catalyst recovery by cyclic carbonate removal using water as extracting solvent. This approach is described for the production of propylene carbonate using trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium 2-cyanopyrrolide catalyst -which chemically captures CO 2 reactant- and 1-decanol/water mixture as extracting solvent. The novel use of fatty alcohols on CO 2 cycloaddition reaction not only permits the effective separation of the catalyst and the product purification, but also improves the CO 2 conversion in the reactor, and opens the challenge of process intensification by integrated CO 2 capture and conversion.