Parallel catalytic reactors for CO/CO₂ hydrogenation, located at SINOPEC Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology (SRIPT). Copyright: Su Liu@SRIPT

Activated carbon-supported Mo-Co-K sulfide catalysts, prepared by stepwise impregnation, were used in the synthesis of higher alcohols via CO₂ hydrogenation. The catalysts with Mo contents of 9∼12 wt %, a K/Mo molar ratio of 0.9, and a Co/Mo molar ratio of 0.3 showed relatively high CO₂ conversions and high selectivity to total alcohols and C₂₊ alcohols. Moreover, the influence of calcination conditions on the sulfidation states and catalytic performance was studied. The surface sulfur runoff of the supported catalysts can be suppressed effectively by online calcination.

Owing to the rising energy demand and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, interest in biofuels is increasing. This review assesses the use of agricultural residues and agro-food waste such as Brewer's spent grains (BSG) and coffee silverskin (CS) as potential feedstocks for the production of ethanol and butanol as biofuels in the European framework and for a local scenario (Campania, Italy).

Activated carbon-supported Mo-Co-K sulfide catalysts were prepared by stepwise impregnation in a more economical and environmentally friendly way compared to the bulk-phase MoS₂-based catalyst and applied for the synthesis of higher alcohols via CO₂ hydrogenation. Optimization of the Mo loading content, Co/Mo and K/Mo molar ratios further improved the performance of the catalysts.

A polymer plate reactor was generated from two different polymers. By ultrasonic fabrication, a transparent polymer plate was welded with a chemically inert polymer layer. The leak-tight reactor system can withstand all tested flow rates and resulting pressures, with rapid and efficient mixing in the range of milliseconds.

The poor stability of tar removal catalysts is a challenge in biomass gasification processes. An efficient method is proposed for performing long-term test operations with a commercial catalyst based on Pt supported on Ce-Zr-Al. A regeneration procedure is recommended for the success of long-term runs. The operation using the concept of cycles allows for cost reduction and higher health security.

The effect of mixing on the heat transfer of particles in an externally heated rotary kiln was studied based on a heat transfer model, which was validated by experiments. High rotation speeds and low filling rates are beneficial for both mixing and heat transfer. The mean temperature differences between particles and between the particles and the drum wall dominate the heat transfer.

The sol-gel method is commonly applied via colloidal and polymeric routes for ceramic membrane preparation. Co-SiO₂ ceramic membranes based on mullite discs were successfully synthesized and employed for dehydration of the liquid fuel dimethyl amino ethyl azide (DMAZ) via pervaporation process. These membranes are promising candidates to be applied in large-scale pervaporation dehydration of DMAZ.

A pervaporation (PV) membrane separates close boiling, azeotropic liquid mixtures and enhances the reaction conversion of equilibrium-limited reactions. The effect of PV-assisted esterification of caproic acid and isobutanol is compared in conventional batch, in situ PV, and ex situ PV reactors. The ratio of water removal rate to the water production rate determines the performance of PV reactors.

High concentrations of transition metal impurities (Fe, V, Ni) in coke increase the carbon anode reactivity, thus increasing carbon consumption, cost, and greenhouse gas emissions. Simple and easy-to-use tools to measure the concentration of impurities in coke and anodes were developed, enabling the industry to preselect anode raw materials or to blend cokes in order to reach their targets.

Industrial spent catalyst evaluation tests revealed a nonlinear deactivation through a hydrotreating reactor. Different main deactivation causes were determined depending on the location of the industrial spent catalyst samples. Poisoning by silicon, arsenic, and iron was the main cause at the top of the reactor, while coke deposition at the reactor bottom.

Hydrophobic flat-sheet and hollow-fiber poly(tetrafluoroethylene) membranes were modified by a commercial fluorocarbon surfactant to reach superhydrophilicity. The superhydrophilic membranes are characterized by enhanced wetting stability and resistance to acid and alkali solutions together with good filtration performance and antifouling property. A facile and effective route of modification is provided.

A computational and experimental study of flow regimes of a mixture of paraffin and castor oils with high viscosity in a T-shaped microchannel was performed for the first time. Parallel, rivulet, plug, slug, and droplet flow regimes were identified and a flow regime map was constructed for this mixture depending on Weber numbers. Experimental data were compared with numerical simulation results.

Dye classes provide different results of permeability in direct contact membrane distillation as demonstrated by using a commercial polypropylene flat-sheet membrane in the treatment of reactive and disperse dye solutions. Reactive and disperse dye solutions with different colors in direct contact membrane distillation for the treatment of dyeing wastewater were compared for the first time.

A simple and efficient method was proposed to control the droplet size in a liquid-liquid emulsion. Placing a metal wire along the centerline of the X-mixer changes the droplet formation mechanism. The wire improves droplet uniformity and provides additional control over the droplet size via the wire diameter and the position of the wire tip.

Air entrainment due to inclined plunging jets was analyzed experimentally with three types of fluids, nozzles with different inner diameters, and various inclination angles and liquid jet velocities. The air entrainment rate depends notably on the Weber number. An empirical model dependent on the Weber number and Laplace length scale is proposed to predict the air entrainment flow rate.

Metal-organic frameworks are emerging adsorption materials for a wide range of applications. A Cu-organic framework was synthesized rapidly at room temperature in aqueous solution and applied to remove organic dyes from aqueous solutions. The maximum adsorption capacities for dyes were higher than the data in previous reports. This framework can be easily regenerated and reused several times.

Until now, renewable energies have not become a part of a grid restoration process. They can be integrated into such process by building small island grids after a blackout. The usability of loads of a biogas plant for demand-side management and a control architecture for the integration of the bioenergy-based microgrid are described on the example of the microgrid of a farm with a biogas plant.

Alternative purification structures are proposed for an acetone/butanol/ethanol mixture, obtaining acetone and a butanol/ethanol blend as main products. Intensified sequences are also developed. The designs are optimized in terms of economic and environmental objectives, and safety indexes are assessed. The main effect of the production of the butanol/ethanol blend is on the safety index.

The mixing performance of two immiscible liquids in an agitated tank was investigated using an electrical resistance tomography system to evaluate the axial mixing index. An experimental design with response surface methodology was applied. The most effective factors were oil type and oil volume fraction. A linear relationship was found between the dispersed-phase viscosity and mixing index.

Industrial dimethylformamide recovery plants are usually based on a two-column sequence. The proposed dividing-wall column (DWC)-based plant avoids the remixing effect and has lower utility duties and CO₂ emissions compared to the conventional system, in addition to lower total annual costs and a higher profitability index. The DWC can also increase the chance of earning the profit.

Pulsating flows have potential applications in membrane filtration and water treatment. Millimeter-sized bubbles were produced by a bubble generator, and pressure oscillations in the exit section of the device were captured and analyzed for two-phase flows with fine and coarse bubbles. Installing a pin in the exit section resulted in drastic changes in the structure of the pressure oscillations.

Direct synthesis of diethyl carbonate in a membrane reactor packed with Cu-Ni:3-1/AC was evaluated. Improved ethanol conversion to diethyl carbonate was obtained in all membrane reactors. Ethanol conversions higher than equilibrium were attained in a membrane reactor prepared with commercial SiO₂/Al₂O₃ membrane. The enhancement of ethanol conversion resulted from H₂O permeation through the membrane.

Odorous compounds are removed from indoor air by a combined concept of adsorption and plasma regeneration. Regeneration is carried out by non-thermal plasma oxidation. The concept was successfully demonstrated for model compounds and real odors. Adsorbed compounds could be eliminated to a high degree by regenerating the adsorber. A combination with ozone removal and CO post-oxidation is favored.

Three different biomass gasification-based processes for hydrogen and power cogeneration are proposed and simulated using Aspen Plus. Energy and exergy analyses as well as techno-economic evaluations for these processes are carried out and compared with each other. Parametric analyses are conducted to study the effect of some key parameters on the process performance indicators.

A simple and verifiable method to determine the kinetic diameter of 21 aromatic compounds was developed using the commercial software ChemBio3D Ultra. In addition to the commonly known BTX species, other heavy aromatics such as ethyltoluene, trimethylbenzene, diethylbenzene, and ethylxylene were included in the study. Some heavy aromatics presented similar sizes to o-xylene and m-xylene.