Production of jet-fuel-range molecules from biomass-derived mixed acids

Mixed acids from open culture fermentation can be catalytically upgraded to long-chain species suitable for use in jet fuel applications.

Experimental investigation on the effect of mixed acids etched nickel foam electrode on performance of an alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell

The three-dimensional porous materials represented by nickel foam have broad application prospects in the fuel cell field due to their excellent physical properties (high conductivity, high porosity and high specific surface area, etc.). However, the smooth nickel foam skeleton not only limits the loadable amount of active materials, but also reduces the utilization efficiency of loaded active materials. Therefore, increasing the roughness of the nickel foam skeleton to improve the utilization of active materials has far-reaching significance for the practical application. In this paper, we used mixed acids solution to etch the nickel foam and investigated the effect of etched nickel foam electrode on the performance of an alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell. It was found that mixed acids etching treatment can significantly improve the roughness of nickel foam skeleton and had a great influence on the ethanol oxidation half-reaction (EOR), while the effect on the single cell performance can negligible. Therefore, we believe that the pretreatment method of nickel foam has little effect on the performance of high loading actual electrode.

Level of Heavy Metals in Selected Vegetables Collected from Ijagun Dumpsite in Ogun State, Nigeria

Wastes from dumpsites constitute a major challenge for plants, human and environmental health. This study investigated the levels of heavy metals in stems and leaves of three (3) Vegetables and soil samples obtained from Ijagun dumpsite, located in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state. The samples were digested with mixed acids and aliquots of the extracts were analyzed for Zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), Cobalt (Co) and Copper (Cu) using the Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Perkin Elmer A Analyst 700 model). The results obtained showed that there was an increase in the level of selected heavy metals observed in the topsoil compared with the underground soil collected from the dumpsite. The level of the metals present in the topsoil was in the order Zn > Pb >Cu > Co. The stem of Celosia argentea and Cochorus olitorius accumulate more heavy metals compared with the leaf. The level of these selected heavy metals were observed to be far above the WHO/FAO and NAFDAC permissible values in plant except Co in the stem and leaf of Celosia argentea and Talinum triangulae, indicating that the leaf and stem of vegetables from Ijagun dumpsite pose serious health threat to human. However, C. olitorius and C. argentea with high absorption ability for Zn, Pb and Cu could serve as a phytoremediator for soils contaminated with these metals.

Preparation of 2-Methylnaphthalene from 1-Methylnaphthalene via Catalytic Isomerization and Crystallization

Large amounts of residual 1-methylnaphthalene are generated when 2-methylnaphthalene is extracted from alkyl naphthalene. In order to transform waste into assets, this study proposes a feasible process for preparing 2-methylnaphthalene from 1-methylnaphthalene through isomerization and crystallization. The 1-methylnaphthalene isomerization was carried out in a fixed-bed reactor over mixed acids-treated HBEA zeolite. The results showed that acidic properties of catalysts and reaction temperature were associated with the 2-methylnaphthalene selectivity, yield and catalytic stability. At a high reaction temperature of 623 K, the 2-methylnaphthalene yield was 65.84 %, and the deactivation rate was much lower. The separation of reaction products was then investigated by two consecutive crystallization processes. Under optimal conditions, the 2-methylnaphthalene purity attained 96.67 % in the product, while the yield was 87.48 % in the refining process. Copyright © 2018 BCREC Group. All rights reservedReceived: 10th May 2018; Revised: 16th July 2018; Accepted: 17th July 2018How to Cite: Sun, H., Sun, K., Jiang, J., Gu, Z. (2018). Preparation of 2-Methylnaphthalene from 1-Methylnaphthalene via Catalytic Isomerization and Crystallization. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 13 (3): 512-519 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.13.3.2650.512-519)Permalink/DOI: https://doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.13.3.2650.512-519