Performance Characteristics of a Regenerative Catalytic Oxidizer for Treating VOC-Contaminated Airstreams

ABSTRACT

A pilot apparatus of a regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) equipped with two electrical heaters and two 20-cm i.d. × 200-cm height regenerative beds was used to treat methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and toluene, respectively, in an airstream. The regenerative beds were packed with gravel (approximate particle size 1.25 cm, specific area 205 m²/m³, and specific heat capacity 840 J/kg °C) as a solid regenerative material and K-type thermal couples for measuring solid and gas temperatures, respectively. The catalyst bed temperature was kept around 400 °C and the gas superficial velocity was operated at 0.234 m/sec. This investigation measured and analyzed distributions of solid and gas temperatures with operating time and variations of volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in the regenerative beds. The overall VOC removal efficiency exceeded 98% for MEK and 95% for toluene. Degradation of VOCs will exist for MEK on the surface of solid material (gravel) in the temperature range of 330-400 °C, but toluene does not exhibit this phenomenon.     

天祝高寒草地三线镰孢的分离鉴定及β-tubulin基因序列分析

按30 m的梯度将海拔2 880～3 360 m分为16个采样点,在同一海拔高度按照"Z"字形取样,共取5个点,对16个采样点的土样混匀后以根残体分离法在镰刀菌选择性培养基上进行分离,对分离得到的镰刀菌菌落进行纯化和单孢分离后,以形态学为基础,参照Nelson分类系统进行鉴定.结果表明:在分离到的212个镰刀菌菌株中,有5个菌株为三线镰孢(Fusarium tricinctum).随机选取2株三线镰孢菌株进行β-tubulin基因序列分析,将PCR产物回收测序后在Genbank上比对,菌株TZh-4-3-7和TZh-11-5-2与GenBank上登记的6个新西兰菌株的亲缘关系最近,同源性达96%.利用DNAStar软件绘制其系统发育树状图,结果显示,菌株TZh-4-3-7和TZh-11-5-2与以上6个F.tricinctum菌株均位于系统发育树的同一分支,聚为一类.本研究采用的β-tubulin基因序列分析结果验证了利用形态学鉴定镰刀菌的准确性;将β-tubulin基因序列分析应用于三线镰孢的鉴定中,拓宽了鉴定途径,提高了鉴定的准确性;并了解了三线镰孢在天祝高寒草原不同海拔高度的分布,丰富了我国草原镰刀菌资源库,为进一步探讨镰刀菌与草原退化的关系奠定了基础.     

A study on recovery of SiC from silicon wafer cutting slurry

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The objective of this study is to recover SiC from silicon wafer cutting slurry using physical separation and acid/alkali purification processes....     

一种炼焦煤尾煤热重动力学分析及热解产富氢气体

基于热重分析试验和固定床热解试验,研究了升温速率和温度对高矿物质含量的炼焦煤尾煤热解特性的影响.尾煤热解过程可分为室温～400℃、400～600℃及600～950℃3个阶段.采用CoatsRedfern积分法拟合计算了尾煤热解的动力学参数,表明炼焦煤尾煤热解反应过程可以用3个二级反应进行描述,其热解反应活化能介于22.6～66.2 kJ/mol.固定床试验结果表明,温度对尾煤挥发分的析出有重要影响,高温有利于尾煤中高分子有机组成裂解和挥发分析出,最终决定了尾煤的热解反应进程.600℃前气体缓慢析出,之后,随温度升高,气体产量和热值增加显著,H2和CO随温度升高而增加,CH4和CO2先增加后减少.H2在600℃前析出缓慢,600℃后大量析出,在900℃左右达到最大析出量,贯穿整个反应过程.CO在900℃左右达到最大析出量;CH4和CO2在800℃左右达到最大值,之后开始下降.终温950℃时,30 g尾煤热解产气4 300 mL,H2产量1 722mL;焦煤产气7 950 mL,H2产量2 716 mL.尾煤热解富H2体产量达焦煤热解气产量的54％,具有较高的再利用价值.     

Visual associative learning in two desert ant species

Visual cues are important navigational tools for many solitary foraging insects. In addition to information provided by path integration, desert ants learn and use visual cues for homing back to their nest. In this study, we compared the visually based learning of two desert ant species: the North African Cataglyphis fortis and the Australian Melophorus bagoti, each of which lives in ecologically similar but visually different environments. In our experiment, ants’ choice performance was measured by training foragers in a channel system. We used a decision box with two visual stimuli during their homebound trips, with one of the stimuli always being the correct one that provided thoroughfare. To determine any habitat effects on learning, we examined intraspecific comparisons in C. fortis with different nest surroundings. The intraspecific comparison in C. fortis revealed no differences in learning the task. In general, C. fortis showed little learning in our task and the results were similar for ants from barren and cluttered environments. Overall, M. bagoti learned the task faster and had a higher level of accuracy than C. fortis. One explanation for this species-specific difference could be that the cluttered habitat of M. bagoti favours the evolution of visual associative learning more so than the plain habitat of C. fortis.     

Interactions of Sulfur Dioxide with Insoluble Suspended Particulate Matter

A laboratory study was conducted of the heterogeneous catalysis of sulfur dioxide at ppm concentrations in air by insoluble particles of CaCO₂, V₂O₅, Fe₂0₃, flyash from a coal-burning power plant, MnCO₂, activated carbon, and suspended particulate matter from urban air. The investigalion was performed by utilizing a new technique for aerosol stabilization which consists of depositing the aerosol on Teflon beads in a fluidized bed. The Teflon beads with deposited aerosol particles were then packed into a flow reactor. Progress of the chemical reaction of SO₂ with deposited particles was continuously monitored by determining the SO₂ concentrations in the reactor effluent with a microcoulometer.

In this investigation, CaCOg, V₂O₅, and flyash were essentially inert to SO₂ at room temperature. Fe₂O₃, activated carbon, MnO₂, and suspended particulate matter from urban air sorbed SO₂ from air streams with up to 14.4 ppm SO₂ in air. Evidence is presented which suggests that a substantial part of the sorbed SO₂ was physically adsorbed.

Bioassay procedures which utilize pulmonary flow resistance changes in guinea pigs to monitor response to inhaled SO₂-aerosol mixtures in air have indicated the weak or non-potentiating capacity of insoluble aerosols as contrasted to soluble aerosols. Potentiating response of an aerosol appears to be strongly associated with reaction of SO₂ in a water droplet containing aerosol ions and not with physically adsorbed SO₂ on an insoluble aerosol.     

Which forcing factors fit? Using ecosystem models to investigate the relative influence of fishing and changes in primary productivity on the dynamics of marine ecosystems

Fishing mortality and primary production (or proxy for) were used to drive the dynamics of fish assemblages in 9 trophodynamic models of contrasting marine ecosystems. Historical trends in abundance were reconstructed by fitting model predictions to observations from stock assessments and fisheries independent survey data. The model fitting exercise derives values for otherwise unknown parameters that specify the relative strength of trophic interactions and, in some instances, a time series anomaly for changes in primary production. We measured how much better or worse were model predictions when bottom-up forcing by primary production were added to top-down forcing by fishing. Searching for cross system patterns, the relative contribution of fishing and changes in primary production, mediated through trophic interactions, are evaluated for the ecosystems as a whole and for selected similar species in different ecosystems. The analysis provides a simple qualitative way to explain which forcing factors have most influence on modeled dynamics. Both fishing and primary production forcing were required to obtain the best model fits to data. Fishing effects more strongly influenced 6 of 9 of the ecosystems, but primary production was more often found to be the main factor influencing the selected pelagic and demersal fish stock trends. Examination of sensitivity to ecological and model parameters suggests that the results are the product of complex food-web interactions rather than simple deterministic responses of the models.     

Impacts of Dung Combustion on the Carbon Cycle of Alpine Grassland of the North Tibetan Plateau

Alpine grassland of Tibet is a frangible ecosystem in terms of carbon (C) emission. Yak dung is an important resident energy with about 80 % of yak dung combusted for energy in the north Tibetan plateau. This paper investigated the impact of dung combustion on the C cycle of the alpine grassland ecosystem in north Tibet, China. During the growing season of 2011, from a field survey and household questionnaires, the main impacts of dung collection for fuel on the C cycle of the ecosystem were identified. (1) The C sequestration and storage capacity, including the dung-derived C stored in soil and C captured by vegetation, decreased. The net primary production decreased remarkably because of the reduction of dung returned to soil. (2) In a given period, more C was emitted to the atmosphere in the dung combustion situation than that in the dung returned to soil situation. (3) The energy grazing alpine meadow ecosystem changed into a net C source, and the net biome production of the ecosystem dropped to ?15.18 g C/m² year in the dung combustion situation, 42.95 g C/m² year less than that in the dung returned situation. To reduce the CO₂ emission derived from dung use, the proportion of dung combustion should be reduced and alternative renewable energy such as solar, wind, or hydro energy should be advocated, which is suitable for, and accessible to, the north Tibetan plateau.     

Bioaccumulation,subcellular, and molecular localization and damage to physiology and ultrastructure in Nymphoides peltata (Gmel.) O. Kuntze exposed to yttrium

Bioaccumulation, subcellular distribution, and acute toxicity of yttrium (Y) were evaluated in Nymphoides peltata. The effects of Y concentrations of 1–5 mg L^?1 applied for 4 days were assessed by measuring changes in photosynthetic pigments, nutrient contents, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, and ultrastructure. The accumulation of Y in subcellular fractions decreased in the order of cell wall > organelle > soluble fraction. Much more Y was located in cellulose and pectin than in other biomacromolecules. The content of some mineral elements (Mg, Ca, Fe, Mn, and Mo) increased in N. peltata, but there was an opposite effect for P and K. Meanwhile, ascorbate, and catalase activity decreased significantly for all Y concentrations. In contrast, peroxidase activity was induced, while initial rises in superoxide dismutase activity and glutathione content were followed by subsequent declines. Morphological symptoms of senescence, such as chlorosis and damage to chloroplasts and mitochondria, were observed even at the lowest Y concentration. Pigment content decreased as the Y concentration rose and the calculated EC₅₀ and MPC of Y for N. peltata were 2 and 0.2 mg L^?1 after 4 days of exposure, respectively. The results showed that exogenous Y was highly available in water and that its high concentration in water bodies might produce harmful effects on aquatic organisms. N. peltata is proposed as a biomonitor for the assessment of metal pollution in aquatic ecosystems.     

Kinetic study of the removal of dimethyl phthalate from an aqueous solution using an anion exchange resin

Phthalate acid esters are becoming an important class of pollutants in wastewaters. This study addresses the kinetics of removal of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) using the anion exchange resin D201-OH from an aqueous solution. The effects of various factors on the removal rate and efficiency were investigated. An overall initial removal rate (OIRR) law and a pseudo first-order kinetic (PFOK) model were also developed. The internal diffusion of DMP within the resin phase of D201-OH is the rate-controlling step. Optimization of the particle size and pore structure of the resin D201-OH, the DMP concentration, and the reaction temperature can improve the DMP removal rate. The hydrolysis reaction of DMP catalyzed by D201-OH indicates an overall reaction order of 1.76, a value that is between the first order and the second order. The apparent activation energy of the reaction is 34.6 kJ/mol, which is below the homogeneous alkaline hydrolysis activation energy of 44.3 kJ/mol. The OIRR law can quantify the initial removal rate under different conditions. The results also show that the theoretical DMP removal efficiency predicted by the PFOK model agrees well with the experimentally determined values. Our research provides valuable insights into the primary parameters influencing the kinetic process, which enables a focused improvement in the removal or hydrolysis rate for similar processes.