ALBERT

Description: Ti 3+ -doped TiO 2 nanosheets with tunable phase composition (doped TiO 2 (A/R)) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method with high surface area anatase TiO 2 nanosheets TiO 2 (A) as a substrate, structure directing agent, and inhibitor; the activity was evaluated using a probe reaction-photocatalytic CO 2 conversion to methane under visible light irradiation with H 2 as an electron donor and hydrogen source. High-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), field emission scanning electron microscope, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) etc., were used to characterize the photocatalysts. XRD and HRTEM measurements confirmed the existence of anatase-rutile phase junction, while Ti 3+ and single-electron-trapped oxygen vacancy in the doped TiO 2 (A/R) photocatalyst were revealed byelectron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements. Effects of hydrothermal synthesis temperature and the amount of added anatase TiO 2 on the photocatalytic activity were elucidated. Significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of doped TiO 2 (A/R) was observed; under the optimized synthesis conditions, CH 4 generation rate of doped TiO 2 (A/R) was 2.3 times that of Ti 3+ -doped rutile TiO 2 .

Description: Butanol is a promising biofuel with high energy intensity and can be used as gasoline substitute. It can be produced as a sustainable energy by microorganisms (such as Clostridia) from low-value biomass. However, the low productivity, yield and selectivity in butanol fermentation are still big challenges due to the lack of an efficient butanol-producing host strain. In this article, we systematically review the host cell engineering of Clostridia, focusing on (1) various strategies to rebalance metabolic flux to achieve a high butanol production by regulating the metabolism of carbon, redox or energy, (2) the challenges in pathway manipulation, and (3) the application of proteomics technology to understand the intracellular metabolism. In addition, the process engineering is also briefly described. The objective of this review is to summarize the previous research achievements in the metabolic engineering of Clostridium and provide guidance for future novel strain construction to effectively produce butanol.

Description: This study presents a novel nanostructural electrode made of 20-nm-diameter nanoparticles, which orderly decorated with 2-µm TiO 2 particles, deposited by a new gel process. The decorated electrode (DE) is better than the non-decorated electrode (NE) in both light scattering and light harvesting, as confirmed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction reveals that both electrodes have a mixture of anatase and rutile phases. The dye-sensitized solar cell based on the decorated electrode shows the highest power conversion efficiency of 7.80% as a result of less recombination demonstrated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. From internal power conversion efficiency measurement, the external quantum efficiency of DE cell at 530 nm is 89%, which is higher than that of NE cell (77%).

Description: Biological application of conjugates derived from oligonucleotides and quinone methides have previously been limited by the slow exchange of their covalent self-adducts and subsequent alkylation of target nucleic acids. To enhance the rates of these processes, a new quinone methide precursor with an electron donating substituent has been prepared. Additionally, this substituent has been placed para to the nascent exo-methylene group of the quinone methide for maximum effect. A conjugate made from this precursor and a 5'-aminohexyloligonucleotide accelerates formation of its reversible self-adduct and alkylation of its complementary DNA as predicted from prior model studies.

Description: Galvanic replacement, co-impregnation and sequential impregnation have been employed to prepare Pd-Cu bimetallic catalysts with less than 1 wt-% Cu and ca. 0.03 wt-% Pd for selective hydrogenation of acetylene in excess ethylene. High angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) and H 2 chemisorption results confirmed that Pd-Cu singleatom alloy structures were constructed in all three bimetallic catalysts. Catalytic tests indicated that when the conversion of acetylene was above 99%, the selectivity of ethylene of these three single atom alloy catalysts was still more than 73%. Furthermore, the single atom alloy catalyst prepared by sequential incipient wetness impregnation was found to have the best stability among the three procedures used.

Description: β -Glucuronidase from Penicillium purpurogenum Li-3 (PGUS) can efficiently hydrolyze glycyrrhizin into the more valuable glycyrrhetic acid monoglucuronide. However, a low productivity of PGUS and the lack of an effective separation strategy have significantly limited its industrial applications. Therefore, the production of PGUS has been improved by optimizing both the fermentation and purification strategies. A two-stage fermentation strategy was developed where PGUS was first grown with glucose and then PGUS was produced in the presence of glycyrrhizin as an inducer. By using this strategy, the biomass was increased 1.5 times and the PGUS activity increased 5.4 times compared to that when glycyrrhizin was used as the sole carbon source. The amount of PGUS produced was increased another 16.6% when the fermentation was expanded to a 15-L fermenter. An effective protocol was also established to purify the PGUS using a sequential combination of hydrophobic, strong anionexchange and gel filtration chromatography. This protocol had a recovery yield of 6% and gave PGUS that was 39 times purer than the crude PGUS. The purified PGUS had a specific activity of 350 U•mg –1 .

Description: A coupled reaction-solvent extraction process was used to remove HCl from a simulated distiller waste. The extraction performances of various extractants and diluents were compared and the apparent basicity of N235 (a mixture of tertiary amines) in various diluents was determined. The best results were obtained using N235 and isoamyl alcohol as the extractant and diluent, respectively. The yield of HCl from the coupled extraction was 75% with this extraction system. The mechanisms for the removal of HCl in both the direct and coupled extractions were investigated. For the coupled extraction, the formation of an R 3 NHCl ion-pair complex was involved in the HCl removal. For the direct extraction, the mechanism involved the formation of hydrogen bonds at high concentrations of HCl.

Description: Two dimensional (2D) nanocrystals of noble metals (e.g., Au, Ag, Pt) often have unique structural and environmental properties which make them useful for applications in electronics, optics, sensors and biomedicines. In recent years, there has been a focus on discovering the fundamental mechanisms which govern the synthesis of the diverse geometries of these 2D metal nanocrystals (e.g., shapes, thickness, and lateral sizes). This has resulted in being able to better control the properties of these 2D structures for specific applications. In this review, a brief historical survey of the intrinsic anisotropic properties and quantum size effects of 2D noble metal nanocrystals is given and then a summary of synthetic approaches to control their shapes and sizes is presented. The unique properties and fascinating applications of these nanocrystals are also discussed.

Description: Foamable high melt strength polypropylene (HMSPP) was prepared by grafting styrene (St) onto polypropylene (PP) and simultaneously introducing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) through a one-step melt extrusion process. The effect of PDMS viscosity on the foaming behavior of HMSPP was systematically investigated using supercritical CO 2 as the foaming agent. The results show that the addition of PDMS has little effect on the grafting reaction of St and HMSPP exhibits enhanced elastic response and obvious strain hardening effect. Though the CO 2 solubility of HMSPP with PDMS (PDMS-HMSPP) is lower than that of HMSPP without PDMS, especially for PDMS with low viscosity, the PDMS-HMSPP foams exhibit narrow cell size distribution and high cell density. The fracture morphology of PDMS-HMSPP shows that PDMS with low viscosity disperses more easily and uniformly in HMSPP matrix, leading to form small domains during the extrusion process. These small domains act as bubble nucleation sites and thus may be responsible for the improved foaming performance of HMSPP.

Description: Cardanol is a biobased raw material derived from cashew nut shell liquid. In order to extend its utility, new derivatives and additional applications are useful. In this work cardanol was first epoxidized, and a novel aniline derivative prepared from it under mild reaction conditions with the help of an ionic liquid catalyst. The reaction chemistry was studied by using nuclear magnetic resonance. The resulting aminohydrin adduct showed antioxidant property and should also be a useful synthon for further reactions. As an example, the aminohydrin was shown to undergo a condensation reaction with formaldehyde to form a prepolymer, which could be further reacted to form thermosetting resins.

Description: Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been synthesized in the presence of polyacrylate through the reduction of silver nitrate by sodium borohydride in aqueous solution. The AgNO3 and polyacrylate carboxylate group concentrations were kept constant at 2.0 × 10 –4 and 1.0 × 10 –2 mol·L –1 , respectively, while the ratio of [NaBH 4 ]/[AgNO 3 ] was varied from 1 to 100. The ultraviolet-visible plasmon resonance spectra of these solutions were found to vary with time prior to stabilizing after 27 d, consistent with changes of AgNP size and distribution within the polyacrylate ensemble occurring. These observations, together with transmission electron microscopic results, show this rearrangement to be greatest among the samples at the lower ratios of [NaBH 4 ]/[AgNO 3 ] used in the preparation, whereas those at the higher ratios showed a more even distribution of smaller AgNP. All ten of the AgNP samples, upon a one thousand-fold dilution, catalyze the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol in the temperature range 283.2–303.2 K with a substantial induction time being observed at the lower temperatures.

Description: While drug resistance appears to be an inevitable problem of an increasing number of anticancer drugs in monotherapy, combination drug therapy has become a prosperous method to reduce the administered total drug dosages as well as overcome the drug resistance of carcinoma cells. Curcumin, considered to possess multifaceted roles in cancer treatment according to its multiple anti-neoplastic mechanisms as a depressor of chemoresistance, can significantly facilitate its anti-cancer functions and improve therapeutic effects via combination usage with a variety of other drugs with different reaction mechanisms. To explore this possibility, four anti-cancer chemotherapeutic agents that all possess a certain degree of drug resistance problems, including three tyrosine kinase inhibitors (erlotinib, sunitinib and sorafenib) that are acting on different cell pathways and a typical anticancer drug doxorubicin, were combined with curcumin individually to examine the synergistic anti-tumor effect both in vitro and in vivo . Results revealed that sunitinib combined with curcumin at the molar ratio of 0.46 yielded the most potent synergistic effect in vitro , and was therefore chosen for further animal evaluation. To further enhance the anticancer effect, bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles were utilized as a carrier to deliver the selected drug combination in situ . Preliminary in vivo findings confirmed our hypothesis of being able to maintain a similar injected drug ratio for prolonged time periods in tested animals by our approach, thereby maximizing the therapeutic potency yet minimizing the toxicity of these drugs. This work could open up a new avenue on combination drug therapy and realization the clinical utility of such drugs.

Description: Modeling structural and thermodynamic properties of nucleic acids has long been a challenge in the development of force fields. Polarizable force fields are a new generation of potential functions to take charge redistribution and induced dipole into account, and have been proved to be reliable to model small molecules, polypeptides and proteins, but their use on nucleic acids is still rather limited. In this article, the interactions between nucleic acids and a small molecule or ion were modeled by AMOEBAbio09, a modern polarizable force field, and conventional non-polarizable AMBER99sb and CHARMM36 force fields. The resulting intermolecular interaction energies were compared with those calculated by ab initio quantum mechanics methods. Although the test is not sufficient to prove the reliability of the polarizable force field, the results at least validate its capability in modeling energetics of static configurations, which is one basic component in force field parameterization.

Description: A sol-gel technique has been developed for the synthesis of a magnetite-silica-titania (Fe 3 O 4 -SiO 2 -TiO 2 ) tertiary nanocomposite with improved photocatalytic properties based on the use of inexpensive titania and silica precursors. The exceptional photocatalytic activity of the resulting materials was demonstrated by using them to photocatalyze the degradation of methylene blue solution. The best formulation achieved 98% methylene blue degradation. An interesting feature of the present work was the ability to magnetically separate and reuse the catalyst. The efficiency of the catalyst remained high during two reuses. The synthesized nanomaterials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ultra-violet-visible spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. XRD analysis revealed the formation of multicrystalline systems of cubic magnetite and anatase titania crystals. SEM and TEM characterization revealed well-developed and homo-geneously dispersed particles of size less than 15 nm. FTIR spectra confirmed the chemical interaction of titania and silica. It was further noticed that the optical properties of the prepared materials were dependent on the relative contents of their constituent metal oxides.

Description: Amphiphilic block copolymers (ABCs) assemble into a spherical nanoscopic supramolecular core/shell nanostructure termed a polymeric micelle that has been widely researched as an injectable nanocarrier for poorly water-soluble anticancer agents. The aim of this review article is to update progress in the field of drug delivery towards clinical trials, highlighting advances in polymeric micelles used for drug solubilization, reduced off-target toxicity and tumor targeting by the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Polymeric micelles vary in stability in blood and drug release rate, and accordingly play different but key roles in drug delivery. For intravenous (IV) infusion, polymeric micelles that disassemble in blood and rapidly release poorly water-soluble anticancer agent such as paclitaxel have been used for drug solubilization, safety and the distinct possibility of toxicity reduction relative to existing solubilizing agents, e.g., Cremophor EL. Stable polymeric micelles are long-circulating in blood and reduce distribution to non-target tissue, lowering off-target toxicity. Further, they participate in the EPR effect in murine tumor models. In summary, polymeric micelles act as injectable nanocarriers for poorly water-soluble anticancer agents, achieving reduced toxicity and targeting tumors by the EPR effect.

Description: The effect of adding Co, Ni or La on the methanation activity of a Mo-based sulfur-resistant catalyst was investigated. As promoters, Co, Ni and La all improved the methanation activity of a 15% MoO 3 /Al 2 O 3 catalyst but to different extents. Similar improvements were also found when Co, Ni or La was added to a 15% MoO 3 /25%-CeO 2 -Al 2 O 3 catalyst. The promotion effects of Co and Ni were better than that of La. However, the catalytic methanation activity deteriorated the most with time for the Ni-promoted catalyst. The used catalysts were analyzed by nitrogen adsorption measurement, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Description: The catalysts supported on LiAl 5 O 8 (spinel) for vapor phase synthesis of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from methyl nitrite (MN) have been studied. Their catalytic activities on supports prepared by different methods were evaluated in a continuous reactor. The samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reduction of H 2 . Li/Al molar ratio and calcination temperature greatly influence the structure of crystalline phase of Li-Al-O oxides. Desirable LiAl 5 O 8 (spinel) was formed at 800°C, while LiAl 5 O 8 (primitive cube) formed at 900°C is undesirable for the reaction. A high Li/Al molar ratio, which was related with LiAlO 2 , also slowed the reaction rate. The electron transfer ability and the interaction with active component are the important properties of the spinel-based supports. The CuCl 2 -PdCl 2 /LiAl 5 O 8 (spinel) with better electron transfer ability and low Pd 2+ reduction temperature exhibited a better catalytic ability.

Description: CuCl supported on molecular sieves has attracted increasing attention in catalyzing oxidative carbonylation of ethanol to diethyl carbonate. Mesoporous MCM-41 has been widely used as catalyst support due to its large surface area and well defined mesoporous structure. Considering its intrinsic weak acidity, MCM-41 was modified by a simple impregnation method to incorporate Al. The incorporation of Al components resulted in the high dispersion of Cu species and the increase of acid sites without changing the mesoporous structure of MCM-41, and thus enhanceed the catalytic activity of CuCl/MCM-41 for diethyl carbonate synthesis.

Description: Membrane distillation (MD) is a thermal, vapor-driven transportation process through micro porous hydrophobic membranes that is increasingly being applied to seawater and brine desalination processes. Two types of hydrophobic microporous polyethersulfone flat sheet membranes, namely, annealed polyethersulfone and a polyethersulfone/tetraethoxysilane (PES/TEOS) blend were prepared by a phase inversion process. The membranes were characterized and their performances were investigated using the vacuum membrane distillation of an aqueous NaCl solution. The performances of the prepared membranes were also compared with two commercially available hydrophobic membranes, polytetrafluorethylene and polyvinylidene fluoride. The influence of operational parameters such as feed temperature (25–65 °C), permeate vacuum pressure (200–800 mbar), feed flow rate (8–22 mL/s) and feed salt concentration (3000 to 35000 mg/L) on the MD permeation flux were investigated for the four membranes. The hydrophobic PES/TEOS membrane had the highest salt rejection (99.7%) and permeate flux (86 kg/(m 2 ·h)) at 65 °C, with a feed of 7000 ppm and a pressure of 200 mbar.

Description: A series of unsupported MoS 2 catalysts with or without Al 2 O 3 modification was prepared using a modified thermal decomposition approach. The catalysts were tested for the methanation of carbon monoxide and the optimum one has 25.6 wt-% Al 2 O 3 content. The catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption measurement, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that adding appropriate amount of Al 2 O 3 increases the dispersion of MoS 2 , and the increased interaction force between MoS 2 and Al 2 O 3 can inhibit the sintering of active MoS 2 to some extent.

Description: Heteropoly compounds with the general formula Cs 1 M 0.5 x + H 3‒0.5 x P 1.2 Mo 11 VO 40 (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu or Zn) and Cs 1 Cu y H 3‒2 y P 1.2 Mo 11 VO 40 ( y = 0.1, 0.3 or 0.7) were synthesized and then used as catalysts for the selective oxidation of methacrolein to methacrylic acid. The effects of the transition metals on the structure and activity of the catalysts were investigated. FTIR spectra showed that the transition metal-doped catalysts maintained the Keggin structure of the undoped catalysts. X-ray diffraction results indicated that before calcination, the catalysts doped with Fe and Cu had cubic secondary structures, while the catalysts doped with Co, Ni or Zn had both triclinic and cubic phases and the Co-doped catalyst had the highest content of the triclinic form. Thermal treatment can decrease the content of the triclinic phase. NH 3 temperature-programmed desorption and H 2 temperature- programmed reduction results showed that the transition metals changed the acid and redox properties of the catalysts. The addition of Fe or Cu had positive effects on the activities of the catalyst which is due to the improvement of the electron transfer between the Fe or Cu and the Mo. The effects of the copper content on structure and catalytic activity were also investigated. The Cs 1 Cu 0.3 H 2 P 1.2 Mo 11 VO 40 catalyst had the best performance for the selective oxidation of methacrolein to methacrylic acid.

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Controlled growth of Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 nanorods with exposed [0 0 1] facets and the fabrication of an Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 magnetic composite by a microwave-assisted polyol process, were achieved in this study. The adsorptivity and photocatalytic performance of the composite toward sunset yellow dye degradation were greatly enhanced by the 〈em〉β〈/em〉-cyclodextrin cavities on its surface, firmly anchored through a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide linkage. A series of examinations and characterizations were carried out to determine the influence of various factors on the morphological modulation-photocatalytic behavior of the pure Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉 prior to final functionalization. Changing the pH of the precursor solution impacted the formation of 0D, 2D, and 3D structures; however, the presence of hexamethylenetetramine surfactant induced the development of 1D nanorod structure. A reasonable crystal growth mechanism was proposed to elucidate the formation process. Conversely, the mechanism of the activity enhancement of 〈em〉β〈/em〉-cyclodextrin functionalized Fe〈sub〉3〈/sub〉O〈sub〉4〈/sub〉-Bi〈sub〉2〈/sub〉WO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉, compared to that of the non-functionalized samples, could be realized with the assistance of chemical trapping experiments on sunset yellow, and was confirmed on the colorless antibiotic (sulfamethoxazole). The high performance and durability of this composite can be attributed to the facet-dependent activity, large adsorption capacity due to inclusion interactions, enhanced visible light absorption, and efficient charge separation.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1808_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉In the production of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and recycling of spent LIBs, a large amount of low-concentration lithium-containing wastewater (LCW) is generated. The recovery of Li from this medium has attracted significant global attention from both the environmental and economic perspectives. To achieve effective Li recycling, the features of impurity removal and the interactions among different ions must be understood. However, it is generally difficult to ensure highly efficient removal of impurity ions while retaining Li in the solution for further recovery. In this study, the removal of typical impurity ions from LCW and the interactions between these species were systematically investigated from the thermodynamic and kinetics aspects. It was found that the main impurities (e.g., Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉) could be efficiently removed with high Li recovery by controlling the ionic strength of the solution. The mechanisms of Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 removal were investigated to identify the controlling steps and reaction kinetics. It was found that the precipitates are formed by a zero-order reaction, and the activation energies tend to be low with a sequence of fast chemical reactions that reach equilibrium very quickly. Moreover, this study focused on Li loss during removal of the impurities, and the corresponding removal rates of Fe〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Al〈sup〉3+〈/sup〉, Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉, and Mg〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 were found to be 99.8%, 99.5%, 99%, and 99.7%, respectively. Consequently, high-purity Li〈sub〉3〈/sub〉PO〈sub〉4〈/sub〉 was obtained via one-step precipitation. Thus, this research demonstrates a potential route for the effective recovery of Li from low-concentration LCW and for the appropriate treatment of acidic LCW.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1806_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Bis-alkylsulfonic acid and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-substituted BF〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 azadipyrromethenes have been synthesized by an adaptable and versatile route. Only four synthetic stages were required to produce the penultimate fluorophore compounds, containing either two alcohol or two terminal alkyne substituents. The final synthetic step introduced either sulfonic acid or polyethylene glycol groups to impart aqueous solubility. Sulfonic acid groups were introduced by reaction of the bis-alcohol-substituted fluorophore with sulfur trioxide, and a double Cu(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition reaction between the bis-alkyne fluorophore and methoxypolyethylene glycol azide yielded a neutral bis-pegylated derivative. Both fluorophores exhibited excellent near-infrared (NIR) photophysical properties in methanol and aqueous solutions. Live cell microscopy imaging revealed efficient uptake and intracellular labelling of cells for both fluorophores. Their simple synthesis, with potential for last-step structural modifications, makes the present NIR-active azadipyrromethene derivatives potentially useful as NIR fluorescence imaging probes for live cells.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1828_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉This paper compares the techno-economic performances of three technologies for CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture from a lignite-based IGCC power plant located in the Czech Republic: (1) Physical absorption with a Rectisol-based process; (2) Polymeric CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-selective membrane-based capture; (3) Low-temperature capture. The evaluations show that the IGCC plant with CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture leads to costs of electricity between 91 and 120 € · MWh〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉, depending on the capture technology employed, compared to 65 € · MWh〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 for the power plant without capture. This results in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 avoidance costs ranging from 42 to 84 € · 〈span〉 〈span〉\({\text{t}_{{\text{CO}_2},\text{avoided}}}^{ - 1}\)〈/span〉 〈/span〉, mainly linked to the losses in net power output. From both energy and cost points of view, the low-temperature and Rectisol based CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture processes are the most efficient capture technologies. Furthermore, partial CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 capture appears as a good mean to ensure early implementation due to the limited increase in CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 avoidance cost when considering partial capture. To go beyond the two specific CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-selective membranes considered, a cost/membrane property map for CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-selective membranes was developed. This map emphasise the need to develop high performance membrane to compete with solvent technology. Finally, the cost of the whole CCS chain was estimated at 54 € · 〈span〉 〈span〉\({\text{t}_{{\text{CO}_2},\text{avoided}}}^{ - 1}\)〈/span〉 〈/span〉 once pipeline transport and storage are taken into consideration. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1870_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉In traditional ceramic processing techniques, high sintering temperature is necessary to achieve fully dense microstructures. But it can cause various problems including warpage, overfiring, element evaporation, and polymorphic transformation. To overcome these drawbacks, a novel processing technique called “cold sintering process (CSP)” has been explored by Randall et al. CSP enables densification of ceramics at ultra-low temperature (⩽300°C) with the assistance of transient aqueous solution and applied pressure. In CSP, the processing conditions including aqueous solution, pressure, temperature, and sintering duration play critical roles in the densification and properties of ceramics, which will be reviewed. The review will also include the applications of CSP in solid-state rechargeable batteries. Finally, the perspectives about CSP is proposed.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1832_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Carbon molecular sieve membrane (CMSM)/paper-like stainless steel fibers (PSSF) has been manufactured by pyrolyzing poly (furfuryl alcohol) (PFA) coated on the metal fibers. PFAwas synthesized using oxalic acid dihydrate as a catalyst and coated on microfibers by dip coating method. For the purpose of investigating the effects of final carbonization temperature, the composites were carbonized between 400°C and 800°C under flowing nitrogen. The morphology and microstructure were examined by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adsorption and desorption, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra. The consequences of characterization showed that the CMSM containing mesopores of 3.9 nm were manufactured. The specific surface area of the CMSM/PSSF fabricated in different pyrolysis temperature varies from 26.5 to 169.1 m〈sup〉2〈/sup〉·g〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉 and pore volume varies from 0.06 to 0.23 cm〈sup〉3〈/sup〉·g〈sup〉-1〈/sup〉. When pyrolysis temperature exceeds 600°C, the specific surface, pore diameter and pore volume decreased as carbonization temperature increased. Besides, the degree of graphitization in carbon matrix increased with rising pyrolysis temperature. Toluene adsorption experiments on different structured fixed bed that was padded by CMSM/PSSF and granular activated carbon (GAC) were conducted. For the sake of comparison, adsorption test was also performed on fixed bed packed with GAC. The experimental results indicated that the rate constant κ’ was dramatically increased as the proportion of CMCM/PSSF composites increased on the basis of Yoon-Nelson model, which suggested that structured fixed bed padded with CMSM/PSSF composite offered higher adsorption rate and mass transfer efficiency. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1827_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene, as a gasoline model oil, over an industrial Ni-Mo/Al〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 catalyst was investigated in a continuous system under microwave irradiation. The HDS efficiency was much higher (5%–14%) under microwave irradiation than conventional heating. It was proved that the reaction was enhanced by both microwave thermal and non-thermal effects. Microwave selective heating caused hot spots inside the catalyst, thus improved the reaction rate. From the analysis of the non-thermal effect, the molecular collisions were significantly increased under microwave irradiation. However, instead of being reduced, the apparent activation energy increased. This may be due to the microwave treatment hindering the adsorption though upright S-bind (η〈sup〉1〈/sup〉) and enhancing the parallel adsorption (η〈sup〉5〈/sup〉), both adsorptions were considered to favor to the direct desulfurization route and the hydrogenation route respectively. Therefore, the HDS process was considered to proceed along the hydrogenation route under microwave irradiation. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1839_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Solar powered steam generation is an emerging area in the field of energy harvest and sustainable technologies. The nano-structured photothermal materials are able to harvest energy from the full solar spectrum and convert it to heat with high efficiency. Moreover, the materials and structures for heat management as well as the mass transportation are also brought to the forefront. Several groups have reported their materials and structures as solutions for high performance devices, a few creatively coupled other physical fields with solar energy to achieve even better results. This paper provides a systematic review on the recent developments in photothermal nanomaterial discovery, material selection, structural design and mass/heat management, as well as their applications in seawater desalination and fresh water production from waste water with free solar energy. It also discusses current technical challenges and likely future developments. This article will help to stimulate novel ideas and new designs for the photothermal materials, towards efficient, low cost practical solar-driven clean water production. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1824_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉The work studied a non-catalytic upgrading of fast pyrolysis bio-oil by blending under supercritical conditions using methanol, ethanol and isopropanol as solvent and hydrogen donor. Characterisation of the bio-oil and the upgraded bio-oils was carried out including moisture content, elemental content, pH, heating value, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS), Fourier transform infrared radiation, 〈sup〉13〈/sup〉C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis to evaluate the effects of blending and supercritical reactions. The GCMS analysis indicated that the supercritical methanol reaction removed the acids in the bio-oil consequently the pH increased from 2.39 in the crude bio-oil to 4.04 after the supercritical methanol reaction. The ester contents increased by 87.49% after the supercritical methanol reaction indicating ester formation could be the major deacidification mechanism for reducing the acidity of the bio-oil and improving its pH value. Simply blending crude bio-oil with isopropanol was effective in increasing the C and H content, reducing the O content and increasing the heating value to 27.55 from 17.51 MJ·kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 in the crude bio-oil. After the supercritical isopropanol reaction, the heating value of the liquid product slightly further increased to 28.85 MJ·kg〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1861_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉The utilization of materials with a hierarchical porous structure as multi-functional additives is highly attractive in the preparation of hybrid membranes. In this study, novel hybrid membranes are designed by embedding hierarchical porous Santa Barbara Amorphous 15 (SBA-15) with a dual-pore architecture (micropores and mesopores) for pervaporation desulfurization. The SBA-15 with cylindrical mesopores provides molecular transport expressways to ensure improved permeability, while micropores on the wall have molecular sieving effects that are essential for the enhancement of permselectivity of thiophene molecules. Considering thiophene/〈em〉n〈/em〉-octane mixture as a model system, the hybrid membrane with embedded 6 wt-% SBA-15 exhibits optimal pervaporation desulfurization performance with a permeation flux of 22.07 kg·m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉·h〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 and an enrichment factor of 6.76. Moreover, the detailed structure and properties of hybrid membranes are systematically characterized. This study demonstrates the immense potential of hierarchical porous materials as additives in membranes to simultaneously increase permeability and permselectivity.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1830_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Despite all major breakthroughs in recent years of research, we are still unsuccessful to effectively diagnose and treat cancer that has express and metastasizes. Thus, the development of a novel approach for cancer detection and treatment is crucial. Recent progress in Glyconanotechnology has allowed the use of glycans and lectins as bio-functional molecules for many biological and biomedical applications. With the known advantages of quantum dots (QDs) and versatility of carbohydrates and lectins, Glyco-functionalised QD is a new prospect in constructing biomedical imaging platform for cancer behaviour study as well as treatment. In this review, we aim to describe the current utilisation of Glyco-functionalised QDs as well as their future prospective to interpret and confront cancer.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1863_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉SSZ-39 zeolite with AEI framework structure is a good catalyst candidate for the methanol-to-olefins (MTO) reaction. However, the diffusion limitation and coke formation often results in fast deactivation of the SSZ-39 zeolite catalyst. One solution for this challenge is to introduce mesoporosity in the SSZ-39 zeolite. Herein, we report the synthesis of mesoporous SSZ-39 zeolite using an organosilane surfactant, 〈em〉N〈/em〉,〈em〉N〈/em〉-dimethyl-〈em〉N〈/em〉-(3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl)octan-1-aminium chloride, as a mesopore template and 〈em〉N〈/em〉,〈em〉N〈/em〉-dimethyl-〈em〉cis〈/em〉-2,6-dimethylpiperidinium as a micropore template. The obtained zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 sorption, scanning electron microscopy, temperature programmed desorption of ammonia, and magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance of 〈sup〉27〈/sup〉Al. The results show that the mesoporous SSZ-39 zeolite has high crystallinity, meso/microporosity, high surface area, cuboid morphology, and abundant acidic sites. More importantly, this mesoporous SSZ-39 zeolite exhibits enhanced catalyst lifetime in the MTO reaction due to the presence of mesoporosity for fast mass transfer, compared with a conventional SSZ-39 zeolite without mesoporosity.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2019_1845_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉The hierarchical HZSM-5 was prepared via dealumination and desilication of commercial Al-rich HZSM-5, and characterized by X-ray diffraction, 27Al magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 adsorption-desorption, NH〈sub〉3〈/sub〉 temperature-programmed desorption, performed thermogravimetric and Raman spectrum. The results showed that partial framework of HZSM-5 was removed after steam treatment at 0.15 MPa, 500°C for 3 h. HZSM-5 with high specific surface area and much mesoporosity was obtained by the subsequent alkaline treatment. The regulation of acid quantity was achieved by altering the concentration of alkaline. Dealumination and desilication of Al-rich HZSM-5 zeolites became more effective using a combination of steam and alkaline treatments than using alkaline treatment alone. Methanol aromatization reaction was employed to evaluate the catalytic performance of treated HZSM-5 at 0.15 MPa, 450°C and MHSV of 1.5 h–1. The results indicated that after steam treatment, HZSM-5 further treated with 0.2 mol/L NaOH exhibits the best catalytic performance: the selectivity of aromatics reached 42.1% and the lifetime of catalyst attained 212 h, which are much better than untreated HZSM-5.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2018_1778_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉In recent years, nanostructured oxide films on titanium alloy surfaces have gained significant interest due to their electrical, catalytic and biological properties. In literature, there is variety of different approaches to fabricate nanostructured oxide films. Among these methods, anodization technique, which allows fine-tuning of oxide film thickness, feature size, topography and chemistry, is one of the most popular approaches to fabricate nanostructured oxide films on titanium alloys, and it has been widely investigated for orthopedic applications. Briefly, anodization is the growth of a controlled oxide film on a metallic component attached to the anode of an electrochemical cell. This review provides an overview of the anodization technique to grow nanostructured oxide films on titanium and titanium alloys and summarizes the interactions between anodized titanium alloy surfaces with cells in terms of cellular adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. It will start with summarizing the mechanism of nanofeatured oxide fabrication on titanium alloys and then switch its focus on the latest findings for anodization of titanium alloys, including the use of fluoride free electrolytes and anodization of 3D titanium foams. The review will also highlight areas requiring further research to successfully translate anodized titanium alloys to clinics for orthopedic applications.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2018_1759_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉A simple dual analyte fluorescein-based probe (〈strong〉PF3-Glc〈/strong〉) was synthesised containing 〈em〉β〈/em〉-glucosidase (〈em〉β〈/em〉-glc) and hydrogen peroxide (H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉) trigger units. The presence of 〈em〉β〈/em〉-glc, resulted in fragmentation of the parent molecule releasing glucose and the slightly fluorescent mono-boronate fluorescein (〈strong〉PF3〈/strong〉). Subsequently, in the presence of glucose oxidase (GOx), the released glucose was catalytically converted to D-glucono-δ-lactone, which produced H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 as a by-product. The GOx-produced H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, resulted in classic H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-mediated boronate oxidation and the release of the highly emissive fluorophore, fluorescein. This unique cascade reaction lead to an 80-fold increase in fluorescence intensity. 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2018_1785_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉〈/p〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉A response surface method was used to optimize the purification and concentration of gluconic acid from fermentation broth using an integrated membrane system. 〈em〉Gluconobacter oxydans〈/em〉 was used for the bioconversion of the glucose in sugarcane juice to gluconic acid (concentration 45 g∙L〈sup〉–1〈/sup〉) with a yield of 0.9 g∙g〈sup〉–1〈/sup〉. The optimum operating conditions, such as trans-membrane pressure (TMP), pH, cross-flow rate (CFR) and initial gluconic acid concentration, were determined using response surface methodology. Five different types of polyamide nanofiltration membranes were screened and the best performing one was then used for downstream purification of gluconic acid in a flat sheet cross-flow membrane module. Under the optimum conditions (TMP = 12 bar and CFR = 400 L∙h〈sup〉–1〈/sup〉), this membrane retained more than 85% of the unconverted glucose from the fermentation broth and had a gluconic acid permeation rate of 88% with a flux of 161 L∙m〈sup〉–2〈/sup〉∙h〈sup〉–1〈/sup〉. Using response surface methods to optimize this green nanofiltration process is an effective way of controlling the production of gluconic acid so that an efficient separation with high flux is obtained.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2018_1721_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: 〈h3〉Abstract〈/h3〉 〈p〉Poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/poly (lactic acid) (PLA) microspheres/nanoparticles are one of the most successful drug delivery systems (DDS) in lab and clinic. Because of good biocompatibility and biodegradability, they can be used in various areas, such as long-term release system, vaccine adjuvant, tissue engineering, etc. There have been 15 products available on the US market, but the system still has many problems during development and manufacturing, such as wide size distribution, drug stability issues, and so on. Recently, many new and modified methods have been developed to overcome the above problems. Some of the methods are easy to scale up, and have been available on the market to achieve pilot scale or even industrial production scale. Furthermore, the relevant FDA guidance on the DDS is still incomplete, especially for abbreviated new drug application. In this review, we present some recent achievement of the PLGA/PLA microspheres/nanoparticles, and discuss some promising manufacturing methods. Finally, we focus on the current FDA guidance on the DDS. The review provides an overview on the development of the system in pharmaceutical industry.〈/p〉 〈span〉 〈span〉 〈img alt="" src="https://static-content.springer.com/image/MediaObjects/11705_2018_1729_Fig1_HTML.jpg"〉 〈/span〉 〈/span〉

Description: Heat Integration has been established over the last decades as a proven chemical engineering methodology. Two design implementations are often used in the industry: grassroots and retrofit. Although various methods have been developed for retrofit, it still needs more development to ensure simultaneously thermodynamic feasibility and economic viability. In this paper, a novel graphical approach has been developed to facilitate the understanding of the current situation and scope of improvement. The Retrofit Tracing Grid Diagram presents all streams and heat exchangers in temperature scale and the heat exchangers are clearly separated from each other, enabling clear visualisation of the current state. The tool incorporates the previously developed Cross-Pinch Analysis as well as path approach for retrofit. Additionally, the non-vertical heat transfer can be evaluated. The application of the developed tool has been validated on an oil refinery case study. The applicability of the tool is evident as it can reveal additional options for modification that none of the previous methods considered.

Description: A co-expressing system of DsbA-DsbA mut was suggested for the first time to enhance the soluble expression of human trypsin-1. As a control, leaderless DsbA chaperone was also co-expressed with human trypsin-1. Vectors pET39b-trypsin and pET28a-DsbADsbA mut -trypsin with the above two DsbA fusion tag were constructed. The strain with vector pET39b-trypsin expressed fusion protein DsbA-trypsin in form of inclusion bodies. While in E. coli BL21 (DE3) strain with vector pET28a-DsbA-DsbA mut -trypsin, the soluble expression of trypsin fusion protein was achieved. Under the optimized expression conditions, the soluble fraction accounted for about 49.43% of total DsbA-DsbA mut -trypsin proteins in crude supernatant. The purification yield was 4.15% by nickel chelating chromatography and 3.3 mg activated trypsin with a purity of 88.68% was obtained from 1 L LB broth. To detect the possible functions of DsbA series chaperons in trypsin fusion protein, we analyzed the primary three-dimensional structure of fusion proteins, mainly focusing on the compatibleness between trypsin and fusion chaperons. The results suggested that (1) besides the primary function in periplasm, leaderless DsbA or DsbA mut may also act as a signal sequences-like leader targeted to periplasm that partly relieved the pressure from fusion protein overexpression and inclusion body formation, and (2) as there was significant soluble expression of DsbA-DsbA mut -trypsin compared with DsbA-trypsin, DsbA mut may function as charge or hydrophobic balance in recombinant protein DsbA-DsbA mut -trypsin.

Description: A palladium catalyst supported on 2-aminopyridine functionalized cellulose was synthesized and fully characterized by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectrometry. This catalyst can be applied in the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction of aryl halides with arylboronic acids in 50% ethanol to afford biaryls in good yields, and easily recycled by simple filtration after reaction without the loss of metal Pd.

Description: Great interests have arisen over the last decade in the development of hierarchically porous materials. The hierarchical structure enables materials to have maximum structural functions owing to enhanced accessibility and mass transport properties, leading to improved performances in various applications. Hierarchical porous materials are in high demand for applications in catalysis, adsorption, separation, energy and biochemistry. In the present review, recent advances in synthesis routes to hierarchically porous materials are reviewed together with their catalytic contributions.

Description: The effect of thermal pretreatment on the active sites and catalytic performances of PtSn/SiO 2 catalyst in acetic acid (AcOH) hydrogenation was investigated in this article. The catalysts were characterized by N 2 physical adsorption, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, pyridine Fourier-transform infrared spectra, and H 2 -O 2 titration on its physicochemical properties. The results showed that Pt species were formed primarily in crystalline structure and no PtSn x alloy was observed. Meanwhile, with the increment of thermal pretreatment temperature, Pt dispersion showed a decreasing trend due to the aggregation of Pt particles. Simultaneously, the amount of Lewis acid sites was remarkably influenced by such thermal pretreatment owning to the consequent physicochemical property variation of Sn species. Interestingly, the catalytic activity showed the similar variation trend with that of Lewis acid sites, confirming the important roles of Lewis acid sites in AcOH hydrogenation. Moreover, a balancing effect between exposed Pt and Lewis acid sites was obtained, resulting in the superior catalytic performance in AcOH hydrogenation.

Description: Dry yeast cells (DYC) were used as a cheap nitrogen source to replace expensive yeast extract (YE) for L-lactic acid production by thermophilic Bacillus coagulans . Cassava starch (200 g·L –1 ) was converted to L-lactic acid by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation using Bacillus coagulans WCP10-4 at 50 °C in the presence of 20 g·L –1 of DYC, giving 148.1 g·L –1 of Llactic acid at 27 h with a productivity of 5.5 g·L –1 ·h –1 and a yield of 92%. In contrast, 154.4 g·L –1 of lactic acid was produced at 24 h with a productivity of 6.4 g·L –1 ·h –1 and a yield of 96% when equal amount of YE was used under the same conditions. Use of pre-autolyzed DYC at 50 °C for overnight slightly improved the lactic acid titer (154.5 g·L –1 ) and productivity (7.7 g·L –1 ·h –1 ) but gave the same yield (96%).

Description: Protein-rich waste is an abundantly available resource that is currently used mainly as animal feed and fertilizers. Valorisation of protein waste to higher value products, particularly commodity chemicals such as precursors for polymers, has attracted significant research efforts. Enzyme-based approaches, being environmentallyfriendly compared to their chemical counterparts, promise sustainable processes for conversion of protein waste to valuable chemicals. This review provides a general overview on valorisation of protein waste and then further summarises the use of enzymes in different stages of the valorisation process—protein extraction and hydrolysis, separation of individual amino acids and their ultimate conversion into chemicals. Case studies of enzymatic conversion are presented for different amino acids including glutamic acid, lysine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, arginine and aspartic acid. The review compares the different enzyme reactors and operation modes for amino acid conversion. The emerging opportunities and challenges in the field are discussed: engineering powerful enzymes and integrating innovative processes for industrial application at a low cost.

Description: Compared to small molecule process analytical technology (PAT) applications, biotechnology product PAT applications have certain unique challenges and opportunities. Understanding process dynamics of bioreactor cell culture process is essential to establish an appropriate process control strategy for biotechnology product PAT applications. Inline spectroscopic techniques for real time monitoring of bioreactor cell culture process have the distinct potential to develop PAT approaches in manufacturing biotechnology drug products. However, the use of inline Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques for bioreactor cell culture process monitoring has not been reported. In this work, real time inline FTIR Spectroscopy was applied to a lab scale bioreactor mAb IgG3 cell culture fluid biomolecular dynamic model. The technical feasibility of using FTIR Spectroscopy for real time tracking and monitoring four key cell culture metabolites (including glucose, glutamine, lactate, and ammonia) and protein yield at increasing levels of complexity (simple binary system, fully formulated media, actual bioreactor cell culture process) was evaluated via a stepwise approach. The FTIR fingerprints of the key metabolites were identified. The multivariate partial least squares (PLS) calibration models were established to correlate the process FTIR spectra with the concentrations of key metabolites and protein yield of in-process samples, either individually for each metabolite and protein or globally for all four metabolites simultaneously. Applying the 2nd derivative pre-processing algorithm to the FTIR spectra helps to reduce the number of PLS latent variables needed significantly and thus simplify the interpretation of the PLS models. The validated PLS models show promise in predicting the concentration profiles of glucose, glutamine, lactate, and ammonia and protein yield over the course of the bioreactor cell culture process. Therefore, this work demonstrated the technical feasibility of real time monitoring of the bioreactor cell culture process via FTIR spectroscopy. Its implications for enabling cell culture PAT were discussed.

Description: A one-step synthesized Ni-Mo-S catalyst supported on SiO 2 was prepared and used for hydrodesulphurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene (DBT), and 4,6-dimethyl-dibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT), and for hydrogenation of tetralin. The catalyst showed relatively high HDS activity with complete conversion of DBT and 4,6-DMDBT at temperature of 280 °C and a constant pressure of 435 psi. The HDS conversions of DBTand 4,6-DMDBT increased with increasing temperature and pressure, and decreasing liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV). The HDS of DBT proceeded mostly through the direct desulphurization (DDS) pathway whereas that of 4,6-DMDBT occurred mainly through the hydrogenationdesulphurization (HYD) pathway. Although the catalyst showed up to 24% hydrogenation/dehydrogenation conversion of tetralin, it had low conversion and selectivity for ring opening and contraction due to the competitive adsorption of DBTand 4,6-DMDBT and insufficient acidic sites on the catalyst surface.

Description: The Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO K1) cell was used to express a targeted anti-cancer monoclonal antibody by optimizing the platform of the construction of production cell line in this study. The adherent CHO K1 was first adapted to suspension culture in chemical defined medium. Then the glutamine synthetase (GS) vector was applied to construct a single plasmid to overexpress a monoclonal antibody IgG1. Post transfection, the production of cell pool was optimized by glutamine-free selection and amplification using various concentrations of methionine sulfoximine. The best cell pool of CHO K1/IgG1 was used to screen the top single clone using the limiting dilution cloning. Finally, a high IgG1 production of 780 mg/L was obtained from a batch culture. This study demonstrated that the construction of high producing cell line, from gene to clone, could be completed within six month and the gene amplification improved protein production greatly.

Description: The ability to tune the size, shape, composition and surface properties impart nanoparticles with the desired functions for bio-application. This article highlights some of the recent examples in the exploration of metal (e.g., gold and silver) nanoparticles, especially those with magnetic properties and bio-conjugated structures, as theranostic nanoprobes. Such nanoprobes exhibit tunable optical, spectroscopic, magnetic, and electrical properties for signal amplifications. Examples discussed in this article will focus on the nanoproble-enhanced colorimetric detection and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection of biomarkers or biomolecules such as proteins and DNAs. The understanding of factors controlling the biomolecular interactions is essential for the design of SERS nanoprobes with theranostic functions.

Description: Cyanobacteria can produce useful renewable fuels and high-value chemicals using sunlight and atmospheric carbon dioxide by photosynthesis. Genetic manipulation has increased the variety of chemicals that cyanobacteria can produce. However, their uniquely abundant NADPH-pool, in other words insufficient supply of NADH, tends to limit their production yields in case of utilizing NADH-dependent enzyme, which is quite common in heterotrophic microbes. To overcome this cofactor imbalance and enhance cyanobacterial fuel and chemical production, various approaches for cofactor engineering have been employed. In this review, we focus on three approaches: (1) utilization of NADPHdependent enzymes, (2) increasing NADH production, and (3) changing cofactor specificity of NADH-dependent enzymes from NADH to NADPH.

Description: Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) plays a significant role as a redox cofactor in combination with dehydrogenases in bacteria. These dehydrogenases play key roles in the oxidation of important substrates for the biotechnology industry, such as vitamin C production. While biosynthesis of PQQ genes has been widely studied, PQQ-transport mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we used both two-dimensional fluorescence-difference gel electrophoresis tandem mass spectrometry and RNA sequencing to investigate the effects of pqqB overexpression in an industrial strain of Gluconobacter oxydans WSH-003. We have identified 73 differentially expressed proteins and 99 differentially expressed genes, a majority of which are related to oxidation-reduction and transport processes by gene ontology analysis. We also described several putative candidate effectors that responded to increased PQQ levels resulting from pqqB overexpression. Furthermore, quantitative PCR was used to verify five putative PQQ-transport genes among different PQQ producing strains, and the results showed that ompW , B932_1930 and B932_2186 were upregulated in all conditions. Then the three genes were over-expressed in G. oxydans WSH-003 and PQQ production were detected. The results showed that extracellular PQQ of B932_1930 (a transporter) and B932_2186 (an ABC transporter permease) overexpression strains were enhanced by 1.77-fold and 1.67-fold, respectively. The results suggest that the proteins encoded by PqqB, B932_1930 and B932_2186 might enhance the PQQ secretion process.

Description: Oil bleed is a serious problem in elastomeric thermal silicone conductive pads. The components of the oil bleed and the effect of the silicone chemical parameters on the amount of oil bleed have been determined. The main components of oil bleeds are the uncrosslinked silicones in the cured resins, which include the unreacted silicone materials and the macromolecular substances produced by the hydrosilylation reaction. Cured resins with a high crosslinking density and a high molecular weight of vinyl silicone residues had a lower amount of oil bleed. In addition, a low Si-H content also reduced the amount of oil bleed.

Description: Leaching selectivity during metal recovery from complex electronic waste using a hydrochemical process is always one of the generic issues. It was recently improved by using ammonia-based leaching process, specifically for electronic waste enriched with copper. This research proposes electrodeposition as the subsequent approach to effectively recover copper from the solutions after selective leaching of the electronic waste and focuses on recognising the electrochemical features of copper recovery. The electrochemical reactions were investigated by considering the effects of copper concentration, scan rate and ammonium salts. The diffusion coefficient, charge transfer coefficient and heterogeneous reaction constant of the electrodeposition process were evaluated in accordance with different solution conditions. The results have shown that electrochemical recovery of copper from ammoniabased solution under the conditions of selective electronic waste treatment is charge transfer controlled and provide bases to correlate the kinetic parameters with further optimisation of the selective recovery of metals from electronic waste.

Description: We report on the rheological behavior of wormlike micelles constructed by ionic liquid surfactant [C 8 mim]Br (1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide) and anionic surfactant sodium oleate (NaOA) in aqueous solution. The effects of surfactant composition, total surfactant concentration, added salts, and temperature were investigated. The prevailing surfactant effect at lower concentration and the leading cosolvent effect at higher concentration of [C 8 mim]Br may be the main reasons for appearance of well-established maximum in key rheological parameters with variation of surfactant composition and total surfactant concentration. The Cole-Cole plots demonstrate that the systems (total surfactant concentration falls within 0.17–0.35 mol·L–1 and molar ratio 0.33≤R≤0.50) fit the Maxwell’s mechanical model as linear viscoelastic fluid. The addition of NaBr or sodium salicylate decreases significantly the viscosity and the relaxation time of the wormlike micelle solution but cannot change the value of plateau modulus G 0 . The present system has low rheological tolerance to temperature. The increase of temperature decreases the average contour length and viscosity of wormlike micelles and thus strengthens the relaxation progress of diffusion and weakens the relaxation progress of reptation. Increasing the temperature also decreases the value of plateau modulus G 0 and shifts the minimum value of the loss modulus G″ min to higher frequencies.

Description: Shell-and-tube heat exchanger with helical baffles is superior to that with segmental baffles in reducing pressure drop, eliminating dead zone and lowering the risks of vibration of tube bundle. This paper focused on the small-angle helical baffles that have been merely reported in open literature. These baffles are noncontinuous helical baffles with a helix angle of 10° to 30°, and their shapes are 1/4 ellipse, 1/4 sector and 1/3 sector. To assess the integrative performance, α/Δp is employed, and the calculated results show that among the three baffle shapes the heat exchangers with a 1/4 sector helical baffle have the lowest pressure drop. At β = 10° and 20°, 1/4 sector helical baffle heat exchangers show the best integrative performance; at β = 30°, 1/4 ellipse and 1/4 sector helical baffle heat exchangers perform almost the same. For the study of helix angles, we found that 30° has the best integrative performance at low mass flow rate, almost the same as 20° at high mass flow rate.

Description: Two types of activated carbon, namely, Filtrasorb 400 and Nuchar SA, were functionalized by quaternary ammonium salts (quats), as to enhance perchlorate adsorption. Results showed that the adsorption of quats on Nuchar SA increased with increase in chain length (hydrophobicity) of quats. Filtrasorb 400, however, had limited uptake of long-chain quats such as dodecyltrimethylammonium and hexadecyltrimethylammoium (HDTMA). Results indicated that perchlorate removal by the functionalized activated carbon was directly related to the chain length of the modifying quats. Perchlorate removal by functionalized activated carbon increased with increase in chain length of the modifying quats and became less pH-dependent. Modified Nuchar SA had higher overall perchlorate removal capacity than the modified Filtrasorb F400, but was more strongly affected by pH than Filtrasorb 400. Activated carbon treated with HDTMA exhibited the best perchlorate removal capacity among all quats studied. Results indicated that tailoring the activated carbon surface with HDTMA rendered the activated carbon surface positively charged, which resulted in substantial increase in perchlorate removal compared to unfunctionalized activated carbons.

Description: The process of activating coal spoil (CS) in order to recover aluminum as a high value product was investigated. The CS was first characterized by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermo-gravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC) in order to determine the chemical and mineral compositions of the CS. Then a mechanothermal activation method was adopted to increase the aluminum activity in the coal spoil. Over 95% of the aluminum in the CS could be extracted using this activation method. The mechanothermal activation process promoted the destruction of kaolinite structures and hindered the formation of amorphous γ -Al 2 O 3 . This resulted in a high aluminum leaching activity in the mechanothermally activated CS.

Description: Currently, a large proportion of global fossil fuel emissions originate from large point sources such as power generation or industrial processes. This trend is expected to continue until the year 2030 and beyond. Carbon capture and storage (CCS), a straightforward and effective carbon reduction approach, will play a significant role in reducing emissions from these sources into the future if atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are to be stabilized and global warming limited below a threshold of 2 °C. This review provides an update on the status of large scale integrated CCS technologies using solvent absorption for CO 2 capture and provides an insight into the development of new solvents, including advanced amine solvents, amino acid salts, carbonate systems, aqueous ammonia, immiscible liquids and ionic liquids. These proposed new solvents aim to reduce the overall cost CO 2 capture by improving the CO 2 absorption rate, CO 2 capture capacity, thereby reducing equipment size and decreasing the energy required for solvent regeneration.

Description: Recent advances with Pd containing catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene are described. The overview classifies enhancement of catalytic properties for monometallic and bimetallic Pd catalysts. Activity/selectivity of Pd catalysts can be modified by controlling particle shape/morphology or immobilisation on a support which interacts strongly with Pd particles. In both cases enhanced ethylene selectivity is generally associated with modifying ethylene adsorption strength and/or changes to hydride formation. Inorganic and organic selectivity modifiers (i.e., species adsorbed onto Pd particle surface) have also been shown to enhance ethylene selectivity. Inorganic modifiers such as TiO 2 change Pd ensemble size and modify ethylene adsorption strength whereas organic modifiers such as diphenylsulfide are thought to create a surface template effect which favours acetylene adsorption with respect to ethylene. A number of metals and synthetic approaches have been explored to prepare Pd bimetallic catalysts. Examples where enhanced selectivity is observed are generally associated with decreased Pd ensemble size and/or hindering of the ease with which an unselective hydride phase is formed for Pd. A final class of bimetallic catalysts are discussed where Pd is not thought to be the primary reaction site but merely acts as a site where hydrogen dissociation and spillover occurs onto a second metal (Cu or Au) where the reaction takes place more selectively.

Description: Nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO 2 ) has wide industrial applications and therefore considerable chances of exposure are created for human beings and ecosystems. To better understand the interactions between nano-TiO 2 and aquatic organisms, we first studied TiO 2 uptake by algae exemplified by Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata. P. subcapitata were exposed to nano-TiO 2 in a series of concentrations and at various pH. TiO 2 uptake was quantified using a sedimentation curve analysis technique. After exposure of algae to TiO 2 , the variation of zeta potential was measured and the morphology of algae-TiO 2 aggregate was observed with scanning electron microscopy and the optical microscopy. The steady-state TiO 2 uptake was found to be pH-dependent and the isotherms can be described well by Freundlich model. TiO 2 deposited on algal surfaces causes the shift of pH zpc of TiO 2 -covered algae from that of algae toward that of TiO 2 . The attraction between TiO 2 -covered algal cells induces the agglomeration of algae and TiO 2 and thus the formation of algae-TiO 2 aggregates in the size of 12 to 50 μm. The 2-D fractal dimension of the aggregates is pH-dependent and ranges from 1.31 to 1.67. The theoretical analysis of the Gibbs energy of interaction indicates that both TiO 2 uptake by algae and the formation of algae-TiO 2 aggregate are influenced by the interaction between TiO 2 particles.

Description: While it is well-known that the plasmaenhanced catalytic chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offers a number of advantages over thermal CVD, the influence of the various individual contributing factors is not well understood. Especially the role of ions is unclear, since ions in plasmas are generally associated with sputtering rather than with growing a material. Even so, various studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of ion bombardment during the growth of CNTs. This review looks at the role of the ions in plasmaenhanced CNT growth as deduced from both experimental and simulation studies. Specific attention is paid to the beneficial effects of ion bombardment. Based on the available literature, it can be concluded that ions can be either beneficial or detrimental for carbon nanotube growth, depending on the exact conditions and the control over the growth process.

Description: The sorption of water and organic vapors on valnemulin hydrochloride was determined by dynamic vapor sorption at 25 °C. The adsorption-desorption behavior of water vapor and a series of organic vapors was investigated to probe the structural changes in valnemulin hydrochloride before and after sorption. The isothermal adsorption equilibrium data was evaluated using Guggenheim-Anderson-deBoer (GAB) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) models. The BET model is applicable only at low relative pressures (0.1⩽RP⩽0.4) while the GAB model is applicable in the whole range of RPs (0.1⩽RP⩽0.9). The sorption kinetics at high RPs was determined by fitting the sorption data to the Avrami equation and the sorption content vs. time relationship could be predicted by the Avrami equation. Finally, the possible sorption mechanism of valnemulin hydrochloride was also discussed.

Description:    Gasification of coal or biomass with in situ CO 2 capture simultaneously allows production of clean hydrogen at relatively low cost and reduced emission of CO 2 into the atmosphere. Clearly, this technology has a great potential for a future carbon constrained economy. Therefore, the development of a comprehensive, physically-based gasifier model is important. The submodels that describe reactive transport processes in coal particles as well as in particles of CO 2 sorbent material are among the key sub-models, which provide a necessary input for an overall gasifier model. Both coal and sorbent are materials that have complicated pore structures. The porous conditional moment closure (PCMC) model proves to be adequate for modeling reactive transport through porous media with fixed pore structure. Consumption of coal in the heterogeneous gasification reaction, however, widens the pores and reduces the surface area available for this reaction. At the same time, formation of a carbonate layer narrows the pores in the sorbent material and reduces the reaction rate of CO 2 sorption. In both cases the pore structures are affected. Such changes are not taken into account in the existing PCMC model. In this study, we obtain the parameters of the diffusive tracer distribution based on the pore size distribution given by the widely applied random pore model (RPM), while coupling PCMC with RPM. Such coupling allows taking into account changes in pore structure caused by heterogeneous reactions and thus improves the accuracy of these key sub-models. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1164-2 Authors D. N. Saulov, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Australia C. R. Chodanka, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Australia M. J. Cleary, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Australia A. Y. Klimenko, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Australia Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    A Pb loaded gas diffusion electrode was fabricated and used for the electroreduction of CO 2 to formic acid. The Pb/C catalyst was prepared by isometric impregnation. The crystal structure and morphology of the Pb/C catalyst were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The preparation conditions of the gas diffusion electrode were optimized by adjusting the amounts of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in the gas diffusion layer and acetylene black in the catalytic layer. The electrochemical performance of the as-prepared gas diffusion electrode was studied by chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry. The optimized gas diffusion electrode showed good catalytic performance for the electroreduction of CO 2 . The current efficiency of formic acid after 1 h of operation reached a maximum of 22% at — 2.0 V versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1216-2 Authors Ang Li, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Hua Wang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Jinyu Han, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Li Liu, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology (Ministry of Education), School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    Tungsten (VI) oxide (WO 3 ) nanomaterials were synthesized by a sol-gel method using WCl 6 and C 2 H 5 OH as precursors followed by calcination or hydrothermal treatment. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the materials. There were significant differences between the WO 3 materials that were calcinated and those that were subjected to a hydrothermal process. The XRD results revealed that calcination temperatures of 300°C and 400°C gave hexagonal structures and temperatures of 500°C and 600°C gave monoclinic structures. The SEM images showed that an increase in calcination temperature led to a decrease in the WO 3 powder particle size. The TEM analysis showed that several nanoparticles agglomerated to form bigger clusters. The hydrothermal process produced hexagonal structures for holding times of 12, 16, and 20 h and monoclinic structures for a holding time of 24 h. The SEM results showed transparent rectangular particles which according to the TEM results originated from the aggregation of several nanotubes. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-10 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1215-3 Authors Diah Susanti, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, 60111 Indonesia Stefanus Haryo N, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, 60111 Indonesia Hasnan Nisfu, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, 60111 Indonesia Eko Prasetio Nugroho, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, 60111 Indonesia Hariyati Purwaningsih, Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS), Surabaya, 60111 Indonesia George Endri Kusuma, Mechanical Engineering Department, Surabaya State Shipbuilding Polytechnic, Surabaya, 60111 Indonesia Shao-Ju Shih, Materials Science and Engineering Department, Taiwan Tech (NTUST), Taipei, 106 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    The syntheses of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) and diethyl oxalate (DEO) by CO coupling reaction in gaseous phase were investigated in a fixed bed reactor over Pd-Fe/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. The catalytic performance was characterized by CO conversion, space-time yield (STY) and selectivity of DMO (or DEO). The results showed that over Pd-Fe/Al 2 O 3 catalyst, the STY of DMO was higher than that of DEO under the same reaction conditions. The optimum reaction temperatures for synthesizing DMO and DEO were 403 K and 393 K, respectively, at the molar ratio 1:1 of alkyl nitrite to CO. The difference in synthesizing DMO and DEO on the same catalyst was attributed to the decomposition performances of methyl nitrite (MN) and ethyl nitrite (EN), as density functional theory (DFT) calculation showed that EN decomposed more easily than MN. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1213-5 Authors Zhenhua Li, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Weihan Wang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Dongxue Yin, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Jing Lv, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Xinbin Ma, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    The role of Escherichia coli rpoS on the central carbon metabolism was investigated through analyzing the deficiency of this regulon gene under aerobic and glucoseenriched culture conditions. The experimental results showed that while the wild type cells exhibited an overflow metabolism effect, the rpoS -deleting mutation alleviated this effect with the significant suppression of acetate accumulation under a high glucose condition. This gene deletion also induced the twofold upregulation of gltA and one-tenth downregulation of poxB , respectively. The overflow metabolism effect was confirmed to be recovered by re-introducing rpoS gene into the mutant. These results demonstrated rpoS changed the central carbon metabolism toward acetate overflow through dehydrogenation of pyruvate and reduction of TCA cycle activity. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1287-0 Authors Prayoga Suryadarma, Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531 Japan Yoshihiro Ojima, Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531 Japan Yuto Fukuda, Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531 Japan Naohiro Akamatsu, Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531 Japan Masahito Taya, Division of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Osaka, 560-8531 Japan Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    Evolutionary engineering is a novel whole-genome wide engineering strategy inspired by natural evolution for strain improvement. Astaxanthin has been widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceutical and health care food due to its capability of quenching active oxygen. Strain improvement of Phaffia rhodozyma , one of the main sources for natural astaxanthin, is of commercial interest for astaxanthin production. In this study a selection procedure was developed for adaptive evolution of P. rhodozyma strains under endogenetic selective pressure induced by additive in environmental niches. Six agents, which can induce active oxygen in cells, were added to the culture medium respectively to produce selective pressure in process of evolution. The initial strain, P. rhodozyma AS 2-1557, was mutagenized to acquire the initial strain population, which was then cultivated for 550 h at selective pressure and the culture was transferred every 48h. Finally, six evolved strains were selected after 150 generations of evolution. The evolved strains produced up to 48.2% more astaxanthin than the initial strain. Our procedure may provide a promising alternative for improvement of high-production strain. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1276-3 Authors Jixian Gong, School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300160 China Nan Duan, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Xueming Zhao, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    ɛ -Poly- L -lysine ( ɛ -PL) is an L -lysine linear homopolymer, which is produced by bacteria belonging to the Streptomycetaceae family and by ergot fungi. However, the production of ɛ -PL by the wild bacteria strain is very low, which limits its utilization. In most bacteria including the Streptomyces genus, L -lysine is a precursor of ɛ -PL and is biosynthesized by the L -aspartate pathway. Aspartokinase (Ask) is the first key enzyme in this pathway and is subject to complex regulation such as the feedback inhibition by the end product amino acids. In addition, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase is feedback-regulated by L -aspartate. To reduce these feedback inhibitions and to improve ɛ -PL productivity, resistant mutants were produced using sulfaguanidine (SG) + glycine + L -lysine + DL -3-hydroxynorvaline (AHV) as selective markers. Using the interaction between ɛ -PL and the charged dye in the solid culture medium, hundreds of colonies were simultaneously screened in a quick and effective manner. Finally, one ɛ -PL-producing strain, Streptomyces diastatochromogenes L9, was selected. The productivity of this strain during flask fermentation was 0.77 g/L, which was 15% higher than that of the original strain. Moreover, its fermentation performance and genetic characteristics were very stable. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-5 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1273-6 Authors Tian Wang, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Shiru Jia, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Zhilei Tan, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Yujie Dai, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Shuai Song, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Guoliang Wang, Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a major cause of high mortality in cultured shrimp all over the world. VP26 is one of the structural proteins of WSSV that is assumed to assist in recognizing its host and assists the viral nucleocapsid to move toward the nucleus of the host cell. The objective of this work was to produce a polyclonal antibody against VP26 and use it as a biosensor. The recombinant VP26 protein (rVP26) was produced in E. coli (BL21), purified and used for immunizing rabbits to obtain a polyclonal antibody. Western blot analysis confirmed that the antiserum had a specific immunoreactivity to the VP26 of WSSV. This VP26 antiserum was immobilized onto a gold electrode for use as the sensing surface to detect WSSV under a flow injection system. The impedance change in the presence of VP26 was monitored in real time. The sensitivity of the biosensor was in the linear range of 160–160000 copies of WSSV, indicating that it is good and sensitive for analysis of WSSV. The specificity of the biosensor was supported by the observation that no impedance change was detected even at high concentrations when using Yellow Head Virus (YHV). This biosensor may be applied to monitor the amount of WSSV in water during shrimp cultivation. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-8 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1289-y Authors Suchera Loyprasert-Thananimit, Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics Research, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112 Thailand Akrapon Saleedang, Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112 Thailand Proespichaya Kanatharana, Trace Analysis and Biosensor Research Center, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112 Thailand Panote Thavarungkul, Trace Analysis and Biosensor Research Center, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112 Thailand Wilaiwan Chotigeat, Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics Research, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112 Thailand Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    Advanced integrated-gasification combinedcycle (IGCC) and integrated-gasification fuel cell (IFGC) systems require high-temperature sorbents that are capable of removing hydrogen chloride and hydrogen sulfide from coal derived gases to very low levels. HCl and H 2 S are highly reactive, corrosive, and toxic gases that must be removed to meet stringent environmental regulations, to protect power generation equipment and to control the emissions of contaminants. The thermodynamic behavior of 13 sorbents for the removal of HCl and H 2 S under various conditions including: initial toxic gas concentration (1–10000 ppm), operating pressure (0.1–11 Mpa), temperature (300 K–1500 K), and the presence of H 2 O were investigated. The correlation between HCl and H 2 S was also examined. Thermodynamic calculations were carried out for the reactions of the 13 sorbents using a FactSage 5.2 software package based on free energy minimization. The sorbents, Na 2 CO 3 , NaHCO 3 , K 2 CO 3 , and CaO are capable of completely removing chlorine at high temperatures (up to ∼1240 K) and at high pressures. Water vapor did not have any significant effects on the dechlorination capability of the sorbents. Nine of the sorbents namely; Cu 2 O, Na 2 CO 3 , NaHCO 3 , K 2 CO 3 , CaO, ZnO, MnO, FeO, and PbO, were determined to have great potential as desulfurization sorbents. Cu 2 O and ZnO had the best performance in terms of the optimum operating temperature. The addition of water vapor to the reactant gas produces a slightly detrimental effect on most of the sorbents, but FeO exhibited the worst performance with a reduction in the maximum operating temperature of about 428 K. The dechlorination performance of the alkali sorbents was not affected by the presence of H 2 S in the reactions. However, the desulfurization capability of some sorbents was greatly affected by the presence of HCl. Particularly, the performance of Cu 2 O was significantly reduced when HCl was present, but the performance of FeO improved remarkably. The thermodynamic results gathered are valuable for the developments of better sorbents. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 67-83 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1162-4 Authors Joseph Lee, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld4072 Australia Bo Feng, School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, the University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld4072 Australia Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 6 Journal Issue Volume 6, Number 1

Description:    The effects of the operating pressure, cross flow velocity, feed concentration, and temperature on the streaming and Zeta potential of the membranes were studied. The permeate flux and the retention rate under different nanofiltration operating conditions were also investigated. The results show that the higher pressure, feed concentration, temperature, and lower cross flow velocity lead to the higher absolute value of streaming and Zeta potential. The permeate flux of the nanofiltration decreases with the feed concentration and increases with not only the pressure but also the cross flow velocity and temperature. The higher the pressure and the cross flow velocity, the higher the retention rate. The lower feed concentration and higher temperature leads to lower retention rate. The effects of the operating conditions on the permeate flux and the retention rate were explained by the variation of the membrane charge property. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 492-499 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1143-7 Authors Li Xu, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Li-Shun Du, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Jing He, Lanpec Technologies Co., Ltd., Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    The magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) boundary layer slip flow and solute transfer over a porous plate in the presence of a chemical reaction are investigated. The governing equations were transformed into self-similar ordinary differential equations by adopting the similarity transformation technique. Then the numerical solutions are obtained by a shooting technique using the fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The study reveals that due to the increase in the boundary slip, the concentration decreases and the velocity increases. On the other hand, with an increase in the magnetic field and mass suction, both boundary layer thicknesses decreased. As the Schmidt number and the reaction rate parameter increases, the concentration decreases and the mass transfer increases. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 471-476 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1130-z Authors Krishnendu Bhattacharyya, Department of Mathematics, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, Burdwan, 713104 India G. C. Layek, Department of Mathematics, The University of Burdwan, West Bengal, Burdwan, 713104 India Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    The capture of CO 2 by transition metal (Mn, Ni, Co and Zn) aluminates, calcium aluminate, calcium zirconate, calcium silicate and lithium zirconate was carried out at pre- and post-combustion temperatures. The prepared metal adsorbents were characterized by Xray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), surface area analysis and acidity/alkalinity measurements. The different experimental variables affecting the adsorbents ability to capture CO 2 , such as the mol ratio of metal ions, the pressure of CO 2 , the exposure time and the temperature of the adsorbent were also investigated. Calcium zirconate captured 13.85 wt-% CO 2 at 650°C and 2.5 atm and calcium silicate captured 14.31 wt-%at 650°C. Molecular sieves (13X) and carbon can only capture a negligible amount of CO 2 at high temperatures (300°C–650°C). However, the mixed metal oxides captured reasonable amount of CO 2 at these higher temperatures. In addition, calcium aluminate, calcium zirconate, calcium silicate and lithium zirconate adsorbents captured CO 2 at both pre and post-combustion temperatures. The trend for the amount of captured carbon dioxide over the adsorbents was calcium aluminate 〈 lithium zirconate 〈 calcium zirconate 〈 calcium silicate. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 477-491 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1107-y Authors Ganesh Tilekar, Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411 008 India Kiran Shinde, Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411 008 India Kishor Kale, Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411 008 India Reshma Raskar, Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411 008 India Abaji Gaikwad, Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, 411 008 India Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    Two donor-σ-acceptor molecular systems incorporating tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) units, TTF-TPP ( dyad 1 ) and TTF-TPP-TTF ( triad 2 ), were synthesized. Both dyad 1 and triad 2 and their synthetic intermediates have been characterized by 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance ( 1 H NMR) and mass spectrography (MS). Their ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) showed negligible intramolecular charge transfer interaction in their ground states. Their fluorescence intensity was strongly quenched compared with TPP, which implied the photoinduced electron transfer occurred from the TTF unit to the TPP unit in the excited state. On the other hand, their fluorescence intensity could be modulated by sequential oxidation of the TTF unit using chemical methods, which exhibited their potential application in fluorescence molecular switch. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 422-428 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1124-x Authors Meijiang Li, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310012 China Rui Huang, Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Changzhi Wu, Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Hujin Zuo, Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Guoqiao Lai, Key Laboratory of Organosilicon Chemistry and Material Technology of Ministry of Education, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310012 China Yongjia Shen, Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Institute of Fine Chemicals, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    Magnesium hydroxide with high purity and uniform particle size distribution was synthesized by the direct precipitation method using MgCl 2 and NaOH as reactive materials and NaCl as additive to improve the crystallization behavior of the product. The particle size distribution, crystal phase, morphology, and surface area of magnesium hydroxide were characterized by Malvern laser particle size analyzer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Branauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, respectively. The purity of products was analyzed by the chemical method. The effects of synthesis conditions on the particle size distribution and water content (filtration cake) of magnesium hydroxide were investigated. The results indicated that feeding mode and rate, and reaction temperature had important effects on water content and the particle size distribution of the product, and sodium chloride improved the crystallization behavior of magnesium hydroxide. The ball-like magnesium hydroxides with the particle size distribution of 6.0–30.0 μm and purity higher than 99.0% were obtained. This simple and mild synthesis method was promising to be scaled up for the industrial production of magnesium hydroxide. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 416-421 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1125-9 Authors Xingfu Song, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Shuying Sun, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Dengke Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Jin Wang, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Jianguo Yu, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    In this paper, an investigation is made to study the effects of radiation and heat source/sink on the unsteady boundary layer flow and heat transfer past a shrinking sheet with suction/injection. The flow is permeated by an externally applied magnetic field normal to the plane of flow. The self-similar equations corresponding to the velocity and temperature fields are obtained, and then solved numerically by finite difference method using quasilinearization technique. The study reveals that the momentum boundary layer thickness increases with increasing unsteadiness and decreases with magnetic field. The thermal boundary layer thickness decreases with Prandtl number, radiation parameter and heat sink parameter, but it increases with heat source parameter. Moreover, increasing unsteadiness, magnetic field strength, radiation and heat sink strength boost the heat transfer. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 376-384 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1121-0 Authors Krishnendu Bhattacharyya, Department of Mathematics, The University of Burdwan, Burdwan, 713104 West Bengal, India Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    Polymer-based conjugates are an interesting option and challenge for the design of nano-sized drug-delivery systems, as they require advanced conjugation chemistry and precise engineering. In the case of nucleic acid therapy, non-viral carriers face several biological barriers during the delivery process, namely 1) protection of the cargo from extracellular degradation, 2) avoidance of non-specific interactions with non-targeted tissues, 3) efficient entry into the target cells, 4) intracellular trafficking to the site of action and 5) cargo release. To take on these obstacles, multifunctional conjugates can act as “smart polymers” with microenvironment-sensing dynamics to facilitate the separate delivery steps. Synthesis of defined polymer architectures with precise functionalization enables structure-activity relationships to be investigated and the integration of key functions for efficient delivery. Thus bioresponsive polymer conjugates, which are equipped with molecular devices responding to the certain microenvironments within the delivery pathway (e. g. pH, redox potential, enzymes) can be assembled. This review focuses on the modular engineering and conjugation of multifunctional polymeric structures for the utilization as “tailor-made” nucleic acid carriers. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Article Pages 275-286 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1203-z Authors Ulrich Lächelt, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, D-81377 Munich, Germany Ernst Wagner, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Center for System-based Drug Research, and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Butenandtstrasse 5-13, D-81377 Munich, Germany Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    In a modern day sulfur recovery unit (SRU), hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) is converted to elemental sulfur using a modified Claus unit. A process simulator called TSWEET has been used to consider the Claus process. The effect of the H 2 S concentration, the H 2 S/CO 2 ratio, the input air flow rate, the acid gas flow of the acid gas (AG) splitter and the temperature of the acid gas feed at three different oxygen concentrations (in the air input) on the main burner temperature have been studied. Also the effects of the tail gas ratio and the catalytic bed type on the sulfur recovery were studied. The bed temperatures were optimized in order to enhance the sulfur recovery for a given acid gas feed and air input. Initially when the fraction of AG splitter flow to the main burner was increased, the temperature of the main burner increased to a maximum but then decreased sharply when the flow fraction was further increased; this was true for all three concentrations of oxygen. However, if three other parameters (the concentration of H 2 S, the ratio H 2 S/CO 2 and the flow rate of air) were increased, the temperature of the main burner increased monotonically. This increase had different slopes depending on the oxygen concentration in the input air. But, by increasing the temperature of the acid gas feed, the temperature of the main burner decreased. In general, the concentration of oxygen in the input air into the Claus unit had little effect on the temperature of the main burner (This is true for all parameters). The optimal catalytic bed temperature, tail gas ratio and type of catalytic bed were also determined and these conditions are a minimum temperature of 300°C, a ratio of 2.0 and a hydrolysing Claus bed. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 362-371 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1106-z Authors S. Asadi, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, P.O. Box 91775-1111, Iran M. Pakizeh, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, P.O. Box 91775-1111, Iran M. Pourafshari Chenar, Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, P.O. Box 91775-1111, Iran Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    Biomass can be converted into flammable gas, charcoal, wood vinegar, wood tar oil and noncombustible materials with thermo-chemical pyrolysis reactions. Many factors influence these processes, such as the properties of the raw materials, and temperature control and these will affect the products that are produced. Based on the data from a straw pyrolysis demonstration project, the mass and heat balance of the biomass pyrolysis process were analyzed. The statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) statistical method was used to analyze the data which were monitored on-site. A cost-benefit analysis was then used to study the viability of commercializing the project. The analysis included net present value, internal rate of return and investment payback period. These results showed that the straw pyrolysis project has little risk, and will produce remarkable economic benefits. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 355-361 DOI 10.1007/s11705-010-0567-9 Authors Quanyuan Wei, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029 China Yongshui Qu, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029 China Tianwei Tan, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    Zangnan Salt Lake on the south of the Tibet is a type of carbonate lake with high concentrations of lithium, boron, and potassium and obviously it differs from seawater in its chemical composition. An experimental simulation of the caloric evaporation of the lake’s brine was conducted by first freezing the brine and then performing isothermal evaporation at 288.15 K. The freezing path and the physicochemical properties of the brine were determined. The crystallization sequence was natron, hydrohalite, halite, sylvite, zabuyelite, trona, aphthitalite, thermonatrite, and borax. Rubidium and cesium salts did not crystallized out but concentrated in the mother solution. The physicochemical properties (density, refractive index, conductivity, and pH) of the liquid phase changed as the evaporation progressed. In the beginning of the evaporation processes, the concentration of potassium ions in the liquid phase gradually increased but later it decreased. A peak value of 55.21 g/L was obtained when the evaporation was 88% complete. When the mineral aphthitalite began to crystallize; the concentrations of B 2 O 3 , Li + , Rb + , and Cs + gradually increased as the evaporation progressed. When the evaporation was 98% complete, their concentrations in the mother liquor were 40.77 g/L, 4.838 g/L, 400.17 mg/L and 31.95 mg/L, respectively. This essential fundamental study can provide an important reference for the comprehensive utilization of brines in Zangnan Salt Lake. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 343-348 DOI 10.1007/s11705-010-1029-0 Authors Shiqiang Wang, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Yafei Guo, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Nan Zhang, Tianjin Centre of China Geological Survey at CGS, Tianjin, 300170 China Lingzhong Bu, Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Resources and Environment in Ministry of Land and Resources, Institute of Mineral Resources at Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037 China Tianlong Deng, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457 China Mianping Zheng, Key Laboratory of Saline Lake Resources and Environment in Ministry of Land and Resources, Institute of Mineral Resources at Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    Green chemistry has attracted more attention in the past century. Among the 12 principles of green chemistry, only atom economy and E factor can be expressed quantitatively to depict the impact of a chemical process to environment. Atom economy was thought better than the traditional yield for evaluating the atom efficiency of raw materials. But it is not enough to reflect the conversion degree of raw material. In this paper, we proposed the concept of real atom economy (RAE) as a metric. RAE could combine the above two factors together to better express the green degree of a process. We further suggested an equation to correlate E factor with RAE. The concept of RAE is proved to be helpful for estimating an environmentally benign process. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 349-354 DOI 10.1007/s11705-010-1030-7 Authors Weihan Wang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Jing Lü, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Li Zhang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Zhenhua Li, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    A lattice model of the nanoscaled catalyst layer structure in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) was established by Monte Carlo method. The model takes into account all the four components in a typical PEMFC catalyst layer: platinum (Pt), carbon, ionomer and pore. The elemental voxels in the lattice were set fine enough so that each average sized Pt particulate in Pt/C catalyst can be represented. Catalyst utilization in the modeled catalyst layer was calculated by counting up the number of facets of Pt voxels where “three phase contact” are met. The effects of some factors, including porosity, ionomer content, Pt/C particle size and Pt weight percentage in the Pt/C catalyst, on catalyst utilization were investigated and discussed. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 297-302 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1201-1 Authors Jiejing Zhang, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Pengzhen Cao, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Li Xu, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Yuxin Wang, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    This study demonstrates a new Cellulose diacetate graft β -cyclodextrin (CDA- β -CD) copolymer asymmetric membrane prepared by a phase inversion technique for the separation of (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) from other polyphenols in crude tea. The graft copolymer, CDA- β -CD, was synthesized by prepolymerization of cellulose diacetate (CDA) and 1,6-hexamethylene-diisocyanate (HDI), which was then grafted with β -cyclodextrin ( β -CD). Surface and crosssection morphologies of the CDA- β -CD membranes were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) indicated that the β -CD was grafted onto the CDA by chemical bonding. The influences of the HDI/CDA mass ratio and the catalyst mass fraction on the β -CD graft yield were investigated. The optimum conditions of a HDI/CDA mass ratio of 0.35 g·g −1 and a catalyst mass fraction of 0.18 wt-% produced a b-CD graft yield of 26.51 wt-%. The effects of the β -CD graft yield and the concentration of the polymer cast solution on the separation of EGCG were also investigated. Under optimum conditions of a β -CD graft yield of 24.21 wt-% and a polymer concentration of 13 wt-%, the purity of EGCG increased from 26.51 to 86.91 wt-%. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 330-338 DOI 10.1007/s11705-010-1104-6 Authors Hong Zhu, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029 China Peiyong Qin, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 3

Description:    By using the corresponding L -amino acid sodium as initiator, ɛ -caprolactone-depsipeptides CL-Ala and CL-Leu were prepared by the reactions of ɛ -caprolactone (CL) with L -alanine and L -leucine, respectively, and p -dioxanone-depsipeptide (PDO-Leu) was prepared by the reaction of p -dioxanone (PDO) with L leucine. Two poly( ɛ -caprolactone) oligomers (PCL-Ala and PCL-Leu) of different molecular weights with depsipeptide unit were synthesized by controlling the feed ratio of L -amino acid sodium and CL. The presence of the depsipeptide structure in these obtained products was confirmed by 1 H NMR spectra and the molecular weight of the poly( ɛ -caprolactone) oligomers was measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). These products contain a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group in one molecule, which means they could act as bifunctional monomers for further polymerization to prepare high molecular weight polymers. By this way, the depsipeptide unit could be introduced into the polymers and the biodegradation rates of the novel polymers could be well controlled in vivo by the tailored molecular structures. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 409-415 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1141-9 Authors Hongfei Cao, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Yakai Feng, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Heyun Wang, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Li Zhang, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Musammir Khan, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Jintang Guo, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    Biological pretreatment is a promising way to overcome the biorecalcitrance of cleaving the supermolecular structure of lignocellulose by lignin degrading enzymes from microorganisms. Solid state fermentation of corn stover with the white-rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was carried out and the efficiency of this pretreatment was evaluated. The enzymatic hydrolysis yield reached a maximum when the corn stover was biologically pretreated for nine days, and the hydrolysis yield decreased sharply if the solid state fermentation was carried out for more than nine days. A possible explanation for this sharp decrease is that not only the lignin degrading enzymes (LiP and MnP) were secreted, but also other metabolites, which were toxic or fatal to the hydrolysis enzymes resulting in the lower hydrolysis yield were generated during the prolonged period of biopretreatment. These results are useful to help determine the optimal timing and to understand the lignin structure and degradation mechanism in biological pretreatment processes. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 1-6 DOI 10.1007/s11705-012-1220-6 Authors Jian Zhang, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Xin Ren, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Wenqun Chen, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Jie Bao, State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200237 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179

Description:    Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate the hydrodynamic parameters of two internal airlift bioreactors with different configurations. Both had a riser diameter of 0.1 m. The model was used to predict the effect of the reactor geometry on the reactor hydrodynamics. Water was utilized as the continuous phase and air in the form of bubbles was applied as the dispersed phase. A two-phase flow model provided by the bubbly flow application mode was employed in this project. In the liquid phase, the turbulence can be described using the k-ɛ model. Simulated gas holdup and liquid circulation velocity results were compared with experimental data. The predictions of the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 455-462 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1116-x Authors Mona Ebrahimifakhar, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, 38156-8-8849 Iran Elmira Mohsenzadeh, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, 38156-8-8849 Iran Sadegh Moradi, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, 38156-8-8849 Iran Mostafa Moraveji, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Arak University, Arak, 38156-8-8849 Iran Mahmoud Salimi, Department of Chemical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Arak Branch, Arak, Iran Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    Sb 3+ -doped YBO 3 crystals were prepared through a low-temperature hydrothermal method and a high-temperature solid-state technique, respectively. The effects of preparation methods on the morphologies and luminescent properties of YBO 3 phosphors were investigated. The YBO 3 crystals from the hydrothermal system look like flowers, whereas those from the solid-state process look like some agglomerates of little spheres. The Sb 3+ -doped YBO 3 powders prepared via both methods showed the blue emission with the peak at around 452 nm, which corresponds to the 3 P 1 → 1 S 0 transition of Sb 3+ ions. However, the emission intensity of the Sb 3+ -doped YBO 3 from the hydrothermal system is about 3.5 times as much as that from the solid-state process. The (Sb 3+ ,Eu 3+ ) codoped YBO 3 crystals were also prepared through the two methods. The results showed that the emission intensity of Sb 3+ ions in (Sb 3+ , Eu 3+ ) co-doped YBO 3 synthesized by the hydrothermal method is stronger than that by the solidstate process. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 429-434 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1138-4 Authors Fushan Wen, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Dongying, 257061 China Lingling Sun, College of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Dongying, 257061 China Jinhyeok Kim, Photonic and Electronic Thin Film Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, Kwangju, 500-757 Republic of Korea Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description:    Silicalite-1 was hydrothermally synthesized in the presence of different concentrations of Na + using tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) as a template. The synthesis was followed by a base treatment. The silicalite-1samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, N 2 adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and NH 3 temperature-programmed desorption. The samples were used as catalysts for the vapor phase Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime. During the synthesis, the sodium ions were incorporated onto the silicalite-1 crystals, but were then removed by the base treatment. All the catalysts exhibited nearly complete conversion of cyclohexanone oxime to ɛ-caprolactam with selectivities grater than 95%. Addition of less than 2.5 mol-% Na + (relative to TPAOH) did not influence the catalytic properties. However, for Na + concentrations ⩽5 mol-%, the particle sizes of silicalite-1 increased and the catalytic activities decreased, which can be attributed to carbon deposition. The results in this work are of great importance for the polymer industry. Content Type Journal Article Category Research Article Pages 401-408 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1129-5 Authors Rumin Yang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Fanhui Meng, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Xiao Wang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Yaquan Wang, Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4

Description: Development of clean energy and environmental technologies to address humanity’s top problems Content Type Journal Article Category Editorial Pages 1-2 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1145-5 Authors Geoff G. X. Wang, School of Chemical Engineering, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, 4072 Australia Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 6 Journal Issue Volume 6, Number 1

Description:    Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has become the third most used plastic after polyethylene and polypropylene and the worldwide demand continues to increase. Polyvinyl chloride is produced by polymerization of the vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), which is manufactured industrially via the dehydrochlorination of dichloroethane or the hydrochlorination of acetylene. Currently PVC production through the acetylene hydrochlorination method accounts for about 70% of the total PVC production capacity in China. However, the industrial production of VCM utilizes a mercuric chloride catalyst to promote the reaction of acetylene and hydrogen chloride. During the hydrochlorination, the highly toxic mercuric chloride tends to sublime, resulting in the deactivation of the catalyst and also in severe environmental pollution problems. Hence, for China, it is necessary to explore environmental friendly non-mercury catalysts for acetylene hydrochlorination as well as high efficiency novel reactors, with the aim of sustainable PVC production via the acetylene-based method. This paper presents a review of non-mercury heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts as well as reactor designs, and recommends future work for developing cleaner processes to produce VCM over nonmercury catalysts with high activity and long stability. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Article Pages 514-520 DOI 10.1007/s11705-011-1114-z Authors Jinli Zhang, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Nan Liu, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Wei Li, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072 China Bin Dai, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shihezi University, Xinjiang, 832000 China Journal Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering Online ISSN 2095-0187 Print ISSN 2095-0179 Journal Volume Volume 5 Journal Issue Volume 5, Number 4