Study on the separation of phospholipids from crude palm oil using a polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane

Crude Palm Oil (CPO) extracted from the palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) should be refined to meet the specified quality for edible oils. One of the components that are removed in the CPO refining process is a phospholipid. Phospholipids are undesirable because they form mucus (gum) in CPO and enhance the emulsion formation during oil processing. As one of the emerging separation processes, membrane technology could be proposed on phospholipid removal in CPO. The research objectives are to synthesize polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane and evaluate its performance on phospholipids removal in CPO. Besides, the effects of temperature and pressure on UF-PES membrane performance in phospholipid removal were also studied. The UF-PES membrane was prepared by phase inversion method with the composition of PES polymer of 17.5%; Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) polymer as much as 2.5% as pore-forming agent; and 80% (w/w) of N-Methyl Pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent. Two types of the UF-PES membrane have been synthesized, namely M1 and M2 membranes. Furthermore, the M1 membrane was selected for the filtration process due to its high resistance to pressures up to 3 bar. The result indicated that the pressure (T) and temperature (S) significantly affected phospholipid removal. The lowest phospholipid removal was obtained in the S2T2 treatment, about 78%. Moreover, the S3T1 and S3T2 treatments gave a stable permeation flux in comparison to the others treatment.

Value addition study on coker kero for producing alpha olefin and alkyl benzene

Coker kero stream is obtained from delayed coking which contains saturates with alpha olefins and PNA compounds which was physicochemical characterised. The fractions present in coker kero may be used further for value added products such as alkyl benzene and naphthalene etc. The study described potential of coker kero via aromatics and non-aromatics separation by using liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP), acetonitrile and methanol as solvents of different polarity. Methanol imparts best colour improvement as per ASTM D-1500. Beside this, adsorption study on coker kero was performed using fuller’s earth, chalk powder, red ochre and wood-stick’s ash as adsorbents. The adsorption study suggested that fuller’s earth not only separate aromatics and non-aromatics form coker kero, but also acts as a better adsorbent than graphitic carbon (activated charcoal) and is found suitable for colour improvement comparatively. This study inferred the separation of polar components, improvement in the colour, odour and established the stable fuel. FT-IR study suggested that N-methyl Pyrrolidone gives better results comparatively other solvents. HC22 type analysis of coker kero raffinate and extract phase confirm the sharp extraction of coker kero feed using N-Methyl pyrrolidone as it is a good solvent for extraction of aromatics. GCMS and HRMS compositional analysis successfully performed for the coker kero and it is separated aromatic and non-aromatic fractions.

Tio2 and carbon nanotubes composites modify capacitive deionization anodes to improve the dechlorination efficiency in desulfurization wastewater

A new capacitive deionization (CDI) technology was used to remove Cl− from desulfurization wastewater. TiO2 and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were combined with N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) to form composites by solvothermal method which is coated onto the CDI anode to improve the dechlorination efficiency (DE). The morphology, surface area, wettability, crystal structure and chemical composition of the TiO2/CNTs were characterized. It showed good hydrophilicity (contact angle: 85.9°), high specific surface area (96.68 m²/g) and high specific capacitance (87.6 F/g). The experimental results illustrated that the best DE was achieved by the composites (60%T/C) under 1.2 V with the maximum electrosorption capacity toward 6.5 mg/g, and the TiO2/CNTs composites have excellent stability. The adsorption kinetics analysis was explored and analyzed. Furthermore, TiO2/CNTs composites exhibit excellent DE in actual desulfurization wastewater. The catalysis and adsorption mechanisms of TiO2/CNTs anode were discussed in detail. This study provides a new direction for the application of TiO2/CNTs composites as adsorption materials of CDI in the Cl− of desulfurization wastewater.

Characterization and Laser Structuring of Aqueous Processed Li(Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2)O2 Thick-Film Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have led the revolution in portable electronic devices and electrical vehicles due to their high gravimetric energy density. In particular, layered cathode material Li(Ni0.6Mn0.2Co0.2)O2 (NMC 622) can deliver high specific capacities of about 180 mAh/g. However, traditional cathode manufacturing involves high processing costs and environmental issues due to the use of organic binder polyvinylidenfluoride (PVDF) and highly toxic solvent N-methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP). In order to overcome these drawbacks, aqueous processing of thick-film NMC 622 cathodes was studied using carboxymethyl cellulose and fluorine acrylic hybrid latex as binders. Acetic acid was added during the mixing process to obtain slurries with pH values varying from 7.4 to 12.1. The electrode films could be produced with high homogeneity using slurries with pH values smaller than 10. Cyclic voltammetry measurements showed that the addition of acetic acid did not affect the redox reaction of active material during charging and discharging. Rate capability tests revealed that the specific capacities with higher slurry pH values were increased at C-rates above C/5. Cells with laser structured thick-film electrodes showed an increase in capacity by 40 mAh/g in comparison to cells with unstructured electrodes.

Organozinc-mediated direct cross-coupling under microwave irradiation

We report a direct cross-coupling reaction between (het)aryl pivalates/tosylates and di(het)arylzinc species in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran/ N-methyl pyrrolidone (1:1), which occurs via C–O bond cleavage under microwave irradiation. The reaction takes place smoothly in short reaction times without the addition of any catalyst or ligand. The reaction is suitable for a broad scope of substrates and exhibits good functional group compatibility, utilizes a simple work-up procedure, and gives the desired products in high purity.

The crystal structure and thermal decomposition kinetics of cis-hexanitrostilbene

Hexanitrostilbene (HNS) is an energetic material with wide application and excellent comprehensive performance. cis-HNS is successfully prepared using crude HNS with a purity of 95% as the raw material and N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent. After separation and purification, acetone is used as a solvent to obtain light-yellow crystals at room temperature. The molecular structure of cis-HNS is determined through analysis of Fourier transform infrared, 13C NMR and 1H NMR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The thermal decomposition properties of cis and trans-HNS are studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). When the heating rate is low, cis-HNS will undergo a crystal transformation after melting, from liquid cis-HNS to liquid trans-HNS, and then it will solidify and release heat. According to the results of DSC data, the apparent kinetic parameters of thermal decomposition of cis- and trans-HNS were obtained by Kissinger method [Kissinger (1957). Anal. Chem. 29, 1702–1706] and Ozawa method [Ozawa (1965). Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 38, 1881–1886], respectively. The spontaneous combustion temperature and self-accelerating decomposition temperature of cis and trans-HNS are calculated by the Zhang-Hu-Xie-Li method [Zhang et al. (1994). Thermochim. Acta, 244, 171–176].