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Abstract Isobaric vapor–liquid (VLE) and vapor–liquid–liquid equilibria (VLLE) were measured for the ternary system water + ethanol + cyclohexane at 101.3 kPa. The experimental determination was carried out in a dynamic equilibrium still with circulation of both the vapor and liquid phases, equipped with an ultrasonic homogenizer. The experimental data demonstrated the existence of a ternary heterogeneous azeotrope at 335.6 K with a composition of 0.188, 0.292, 0.520 mole fraction of water, ethanol and cyclohexane, respectively. The experimental data were compared with those obtained using UNIFAC and NRTL models with parameters taken from literature.

The most widely used process for hydrogen production is steam methane reforming. It can be carried out using a membrane reactor in which simultaneous hydrogen production and purification occur. Mathematical modeling of these reactors plays a key role in the selection of the design and operating parameters that yield high performance for the reactor. This review study discusses, synthesizes, and compares different mathematical modeling studies on the packed bed membrane reactors for hydrogen production from methane found in the literature. Different approaches used in these modeling studies for the hydrogen permeation steps, reaction kinetic expressions, phases involved (pseudo-homogeneous and heterogeneous), and spatial dimensions (one, two, and three dimensional) are given.

The aim of this work was to seek an environmentally friendly process for recycling metals from biomass-sludges generated in the treatment of industrial wastewaters. This work proposes a hybrid process for selective recovery of copper, nickel and zinc from contaminated biomass of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used in the bioremediation of electroplating effluents. The developed separation scheme comprised five consecutive steps: (1) incineration of the contaminated biomass; (2) microwave acid (HCl) digestion of the ashes; (3) recovery of copper from the acid solution by electrolysis at controlled potential; (4) recycle of nickel, as nickel hydroxide, by alcalinization of the previous solution at pH 14; (5) recovery of zinc, as zinc hydroxide, by adjusting the pH of the previous solution at 10. This integrated approach allowed recovering each metal with high yielder (>99% for all metals) and purity (99.9%, 92% and 99.4% for copper, nickel and zinc, respectively). The purity of the metals recovered allows selling them in the market or being recycled in the electroplating process without waste generation.

Abstract The Raman spectra and the Raman parameters have been correlated with changes in the structure of carbon materials, and most of the studies have revealed different development of the Raman spectrum. In the present study micro-Raman spectroscopy was conducted on coal bulk samples and on individual coal macerals (collotelinite, fusinite, and macrinite) from a set of Penn State Coal Bank coals of increasing rank to study the variation of their spectral parameters with rank, and considering coal heterogeneity. The spectral parameters that better correlate with the increasing coal rank, for the coals studied are the full width at half maximum of graphitic band (G: at ∼ 1580 cm− 1), the position of disordered band (D: at ∼ 1350 cm− 1), and the integrated intensity ratio of the D band to G band (ID/IG). With increasing coal rank a narrower G band, a shift of D band to lower wavenumber, and an increase of integrated intensity ratio ID/IG are observed. For each coal, the Raman parameters obtained on fusinites and macrinites are similar and differ from those obtained on coal bulk samples and collotelinites. The variation of the Raman parameters with rank is very well reflected on the analyses of collotelinites.

Depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and deep saline aquifers are key targets for geological storage of CO

Screening tests of a number of amines and organic diluents indicated that 30% weight blends of 2-(methylamino)ethanol (MMEA) or 2-(ethylamino)ethanol (EMEA) with bis(2-ethoxyethyl) ether (DEGDEE) split into two liquid phases upon CO2 capture, an upper CO2 lean phase (mainly DEGDEE) and a lower CO2 enriched phase (mainly amine carbamate and protonated amine). These water-free biphasic absorbents have experimental CO2 loading capacity in the range 0.52-0.54. Besides batch experiments to measure the efficiency of CO2 capture and absorbent regeneration, the biphasic absorbents were tested in continuous cycles of CO2 (15% v/v in air) absorption-desorption carried out in packed columns. CO2 capture efficiency up to 97.6% was achieved with EMEA-DEGDEE and desorption temperature of the sole EMEA carbamate at 110 °C. 13C NMR analysis was used to identify and quantify the species occurring in the different liquid phases. The features of the absorbent were compared to those of 30% weight aqueous MEA. The better performances of our absorbent were greater absorption efficiency, reduced flow rate in the desorber and avoidance of any parasitic diluent to be heated in the desorption step.

Despite high ambitions nuclear technology hardly developed in the Netherlands. Already from the very start, nuclear technology was contested and became subject of power games. Two reactors, one 50 MW the other 450 MW were connected to the grid and several more were planned. Social protest and aversion was mitigated by a nationwide energy debate. In 1986 Chernobyl interrupted and finally stopped the Dutch nuclear ambitions. Twenty years after Chernobyl, the debate about the nuclear option has been re-opened in reference to climate change, security of supply and resource independence.

Abstract Tracers are practical tools to provide insight on reservoir heterogeneity. However, scarce is the variety of available alternatives designed specifically for carbonate oil reservoir. Through application-oriented design, directed ad hoc to carbonate oil reservoirs, a family of cationic fluorinated tracers was developed, aided by computational design. This was done through the microwave assisted, one-step synthesis of fluorinated anilines exhaustively methylated in mild reaction conditions. Stability and aging tests were carried out at reservoir-emulating conditions, confirming the structural integrity of the compounds through 19F NMR and UHPLC-MS. Moreover, the developed tracer showed low adsorption compared to a commercial anionic tracer and did not modify the water-oil-rock physical and interfacial properties, remaining preferably partitioned towards water. Finally, degree of heterogeneity characterization in a packed column of natural mineral rock was obtained with the developed tracer, and its commercially available anionic analogue commonly used in field tracer tests. The comparison showed the potential of developed tracers as prominent candidates to support the design of exploitation processes, environmentally friendly and nontoxic, in carbonate oil reservoirs.