Final Report: Cathode Catalysis in Hydrogen/Oxygen Fuel Cells: New Catalysts, Mechanism, and Characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gewirth, Andrew A. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Kenis, Paul J. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Nuzzo, Ralph G. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Rauchfuss, Thomas B. [Univ. of Illinois, Urbana, IL (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

2016-01-18

In this research, we prosecuted a comprehensive plan of research directed at developing new catalysts and new understandings relevant to the operation of low temperature hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. The focal point of this work was one centered on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR), the electrochemical process that most fundamentally limits the technological utility of these environmentally benign energy conversion devices. Over the period of grant support, we developed new ORR catalysts, based on Cu dimers and multimers. In this area, we developed substantial new insight into design rules required to establish better ORR materials, inspired by the three-Cu active site in laccase which has the highest ORR onset potential of any material known. We also developed new methods of characterization for the ORR on conventional (metal-based) catalysts. Finally, we developed a new platform to study the rate of proton transfer relevant to proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions, of which the ORR is an exemplar. Other aspects of work involved theory and prototype catalyst testing.

DEVELOPMENT OF ATTRITION RESISTANT IRON-BASED FISCHER-TROPSCH CATALYSTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adeyinka A. Adeyiga

2001-01-01

The Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reaction provides a way of converting coal-derived synthesis gas (CO+H 2 ) to liquid fuels. Since the reaction is highly exothermic, one of the major problems in control of the reaction is heat removal. Recent work has shown that the use of slurry bubble column reactors (SBCRs) can largely solve this problem. The use of iron-based catalysts is attractive not only due to their low cost and ready availability, but also due to their high water-gas shift activity which makes it possible to use these catalysts with low H 2 /CO ratios. However, a serious problem with use of Fe catalysts in a SBCR is their tendency to undergo attrition. This can cause fouling/plugging of downstream filters and equipment, makes the separation of catalyst from the oil/wax product very difficult if not impossible, and results in a steady loss of catalyst from the reactor. Recently, fundamental understanding of physical attrition is being addressed by incorporating suitable binders into the catalyst recipe. This has resulted in the preparation of a spray dried Fe-based catalyst having aps of 70 mm with high attrition resistance. This Fe-based attrition resistant, active and selective catalyst gave 95% CO conversion through 125 hours of testing in a fixed-bed at 270 C, 1.48 MPa, H 2 /CO=0.67 and 2.0 NL/g-cat/h with C 5 + selectivity of >78% and methane selectivity of <5%. However, further development of the catalyst is needed to address the chemical attrition due to phase changes that any Fe-catalyst goes through potentially causing internal stresses within the particle and resulting in weakening, spalling or cracking. The objective of this research is to develop robust iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts that have suitable activity, selectivity and stability to be used in the slurry bubble column reactor. Specifically we aim to develop to: (i) improve the performance and preparation procedure of the high activity, high attrition resistant, high alpha iron

Bio-inspired co-catalysts bonded to a silicon photocathode for solar hydrogen evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hou, Yidong; Abrams, Billie; Vesborg, Peter Christian Kjærgaard

2011-01-01

The production of fuels directly or indirectly from sunlight represents one of the major challenges to the development of a sustainable energy system. Hydrogen is the simplest fuel to produce and while platinum and other noble metals are efficient catalysts for photoelectrochemical hydrogen...... at the reversible potential match the requirement of a photoelectrochemical hydrogen production system with a solar-to-hydrogen efficiency in excess of 10%. The experimental observations are supported by DFT calculations of the Mo3S4 cluster adsorbed on the hydrogen-terminated silicon surface providing insights...... deposited on various supports. It will be demonstrated how this overpotential can be eliminated by depositing the same type of hydrogen evolution catalyst on p-type Si which can harvest the red part of the solar spectrum. Such a system could constitute the cathode part of a tandem dream device where the red...

Spent catalyst waste management. A review. Part 1. Developments in hydroprocessing catalyst waste reduction and use

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marafi, M.; Stanislaus, A. [Petroleum Refining Department, Petroleum Research and Studies Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, 13109-Safat (Kuwait)

2008-04-15

Solid catalysts containing metals, metal oxides or sulfides, which play a key role in the refining of petroleum to clean fuels and many other valuable products, become solid wastes after use. In many refineries, the spent catalysts discarded from hydroprocessing units form a major part of these solid wastes. Disposal of spent hydroprocessing catalysts requires compliance with stringent environmental regulations because of their hazardous nature and toxic chemicals content. Various options such as minimizing spent catalyst waste generation by regeneration and reuse, metals recovery, utilization to produce useful materials and treatment for safe disposal, could be considered to deal with the spent catalyst environmental problem. In this paper, information available in the literature on spent hydroprocessing catalyst waste reduction at source by using improved more active and more stable catalysts, regeneration, rejuvenation and reuse of deactivated catalysts in many cycles, and reusing in other processes are reviewed in detail with focus on recent developments. Available methods for recycling of spent hydroprocessing catalysts by using them as raw materials for the preparation of active new catalysts and many other valuable products are also reviewed. (author)

Investigation and development of heavy oil upgrading catalysts. 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, D.K.; Lee, I.C.; Yoon, W.L.; Lee, H.T.; Chung, H.; Hwang, Y.J.; Park, S.H. [Korea Inst. of Energy Research, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1995-12-01

This study aimed at the domestic development of HDS catalysts which are most fundamental and wide-used in the petroleum refinery. In this year, some experimental works were conducted for developing the effective utilization technology of the novel dispersed-catalysts in the hydro-desulfurization of heavy oils, and improving the reaction performance of alumina-supported Mo-based hydro-treating catalysts conventionally used in most of refineries. First, it was experimentally proved that the dispersed catalysts of Co-Mo could be employed for the hydro-desulfurization of a heavy atmospheric residual oil excluding the catalyst deactivation. The utilization of a carbon-expanded reactor in combination with this dispersed catalyst system exhibited an enhanced reaction performance and provided an efficient way for the separation and recovery of the dispersed catalytic component from oils. Second, the tungsten-incorporated WCoMo/{gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst revealed the improved catalytic performance in the various hydro-treating reactions and in the initial deactivation rates for the high pressure hydro-treatment of a heavy oil as compared with the commercial CoMo/{gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst. This new experimental finding for the promoting role of the monomeric WO{sub 3} species in CoMo/{gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst may be generally applicable to the Mo-based alumina-sulfide phase, higher catalytic activity, and more extended service life. (author). 101 refs., 33 figs., 18 tabs.

Development of Molecular Catalysts to Bridge the Gap between Heterogeneous and Homogeneous Catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Rong

Catalysts, heterogeneous, homogeneous, and enzymatic, are comprised of nanometer-sized inorganic and/or organic components. They share molecular factors including charge, coordination, interatomic distance, bonding, and orientation of catalytically active atoms. By controlling the governing catalytic components and molecular factors, catalytic processes of a multichannel and multiproduct nature could be run in all three catalytic platforms to create unique end-products. Unifying the fields of catalysis is the key to achieving the goal of 100% selectivity in catalysis. Recyclable catalysts, especially those that display selective reactivity, are vital for the development of sustainable chemical processes. Among available catalyst platforms, heterogeneous catalysts are particularly well-disposed toward separation from the reaction mixture via filtration methods, which renders them readily recyclable. Furthermore, heterogeneous catalysts offer numerous handles - some without homogeneous analogues - for performance and selectivity optimization. These handles include nanoparticle size, pore profile of porous supports, surface ligands and interface with oxide supports, and flow rate through a solid catalyst bed. Despite these available handles, however, conventional heterogeneous catalysts are themselves often structurally heterogeneous compared to homogeneous catalysts, which complicates efforts to optimize and expand the scope of their reactivity and selectivity. Ongoing efforts are aimed to address the above challenge by heterogenizing homogeneous catalysts, which can be defined as the modification of homogeneous catalysts to render them in a separable (solid) phase from the starting materials and products. Specifically, we grow the small nanoclusters in dendrimers, a class of uniform polymers with the connectivity of fractal trees and generally radial symmetry. Thanks to their dense multivalency, shape persistence and structural uniformity, dendrimers have proven to

Biotemplating of Luffa cylindrica sponges to self-supporting hierarchical zeolite macrostructures for bio-inspired structured catalytic reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zampieri, Alessandro; Mabande, Godwin T.P.; Selvam, Thangaraj; Schwieger, Wilhelm; Rudolph, Alexander; Hermann, Ralph; Sieber, Heino; Greil, Peter

2006-01-01

Biomorphic self-supporting MFI-type zeolite frameworks with hierarchical porosity and complex architecture were prepared using a 2-step (in-situ seeding and secondary crystal growth) hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of a biological template (Luffa sponge), employed as a macroscale sacrificial structure builder. The bio-inspired zeolitic replica inherited the complex spongy morphology and the intricate open-porous architecture of the biotemplate. Moreover, it exhibited reasonable mechanical stability in order to study the applicability of the biomorphic catalyst in a technical catalytic process. A bio-inspired catalytic reactor utilising the self-supporting ZSM-5 scaffold in monolithic configuration was developed in order to test the catalytic performance of the material

Recent development of active nanoparticle catalysts for fuel cell reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mazumder, Vismadeb; Lee, Youngmin; Sun, Shouheng [Department of Chemistry Brown University Providence, RI (United States)

2010-04-23

This review focuses on the recent advances in the synthesis of nanoparticle (NP) catalysts of Pt-, Pd- and Au-based NPs as well as composite NPs. First, new developments in the synthesis of single-component Pt, Pd and Au NPs are summarized. Then the chemistry used to make alloy and composite NP catalysts aiming to enhance their activity and durability for fuel cell reactions is outlined. The review next introduces the exciting new research push in developing CoN/C and FeN/C as non-Pt catalysts. Examples of size-, shape- and composition-dependent catalyses for oxygen reduction at cathode and formic acid oxidation at anode are highlighted to illustrate the potentials of the newly developed NP catalysts for fuel cell applications. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Novel geochemistry-inspired method for the deep removal of vanadium from molybdate solution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Jialiang [School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 (China); Beijing Key Laboratory of Green Recycling and Extraction of Metals, Beijing, 100083 (China); Deng, Yuping; Zhou, Qiuyue; Qin, Peixin; Liu, Yubo [School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 (China); Wang, Chengyan, E-mail: chywang@yeah.net [School of Metallurgical and Ecological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 (China)

2017-06-05

Highlights: • A geochemistry-inspired method was developed for removal of V from molybdates. • Magnetic separation of the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} adsorbent took 10 s. • Vanadium can be deeply removed in 5 min at pH of 7.0–11.0. • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} adsorbent has excellent V selectivity and reusability. • A flowchart is presented for Mo/V separation in the leachate of spent HDS catalyst. - Abstract: Separation of vanadium from molybdates is an essential task for processing the leaching solution of hazardous spent hydrodesulphurization (HDS) catalyst. In this study, the difference in the main naturally occurring mineral forms of Mo and V inspired us to develop a method for the deep removal of V from molybdate solution using Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} as an adsorbent. First, the adsorbent was synthesized with coprecipitation method, and then it was characterized by XRD, TEM, and VSM. The synthesized material consisted of pure Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles that exhibited paramagnetic property, with a saturated magnetization of 68.6 emu g{sup −1}. The V removal efficiency was investigated using batch adsorption experiments in varying conditions. Results indicated that V could be deeply removed from various concentrations of molybdate solution at pH of 7.0–11.0 within 5 min. A slight decrease was found in the adsorption ratio after the adsorbent had been reused for 4 cycles. The resulting molybdate solution contained less than 0.02 g L{sup −1} of V, which satisfies the requirement for preparing high-quality products. Finally, a process flowchart is presented for the separation of Mo and V from the leaching solution of spent HDS catalyst, based on the excellent V removal performance and rapid separation rate of the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} adsorbent.

Physicists Get INSPIREd: INSPIRE Project and Grid Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klem, Jukka; Iwaszkiewicz, Jan

2011-01-01

INSPIRE is the new high-energy physics scientific information system developed by CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC. INSPIRE combines the curated and trusted contents of SPIRES database with Invenio digital library technology. INSPIRE contains the entire HEP literature with about one million records and in addition to becoming the reference HEP scientific information platform, it aims to provide new kinds of data mining services and metrics to assess the impact of articles and authors. Grid and cloud computing provide new opportunities to offer better services in areas that require large CPU and storage resources including document Optical Character Recognition (OCR) processing, full-text indexing of articles and improved metrics. D4Science-II is a European project that develops and operates an e-Infrastructure supporting Virtual Research Environments (VREs). It develops an enabling technology (gCube) which implements a mechanism for facilitating the interoperation of its e-Infrastructure with other autonomously running data e-Infrastructures. As a result, this creates the core of an e-Infrastructure ecosystem. INSPIRE is one of the e-Infrastructures participating in D4Science-II project. In the context of the D4Science-II project, the INSPIRE e-Infrastructure makes available some of its resources and services to other members of the resulting ecosystem. Moreover, it benefits from the ecosystem via a dedicated Virtual Organization giving access to an array of resources ranging from computing and storage resources of grid infrastructures to data and services.

Autonomic networking-on-chip bio-inspired specification, development, and verification

CERN Document Server

Cong-Vinh, Phan

2011-01-01

Despite the growing mainstream importance and unique advantages of autonomic networking-on-chip (ANoC) technology, Autonomic Networking-On-Chip: Bio-Inspired Specification, Development, and Verification is among the first books to evaluate research results on formalizing this emerging NoC paradigm, which was inspired by the human nervous system. The FIRST Book to Assess Research Results, Opportunities, & Trends in ""BioChipNets"" The third book in the Embedded Multi-Core Systems series from CRC Press, this is an advanced technical guide and reference composed of contributions from prominent re

Methodology for Designing and Developing a New Ultra-Wideband Antenna Based on Bio-Inspired Optimization Techniques

Science.gov (United States)

2017-11-01

on Bio -Inspired Optimization Techniques by Canh Ly, Nghia Tran, and Ozlem Kilic Approved for public release; distribution is...Research Laboratory Methodology for Designing and Developing a New Ultra-Wideband Antenna Based on Bio -Inspired Optimization Techniques by...SUBTITLE Methodology for Designing and Developing a New Ultra-Wideband Antenna Based on Bio -Inspired Optimization Techniques 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER

Advanced development of catalysts by using the high-brilliance synchrotron radiation in SPring-8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-10-01

The advanced development of catalysts by using the high-brilliance synchrotron radiation in SPring-8 is described: (1) the industrial use of SPring-8, (2) the analytical methods of catalyst using SPring-8 (XAFS, powder X-ray diffraction, thin film X-ray scattering, X-ray imaging, infrared analysis, X-ray fluorescence analysis, and photoelectron spectroscopy etc.), (3) the history of synchrotron radiation and catalyst investigations, (4) the new advanced measuring methods of catalyst using synchrotron radiation (various X-ray spectroscopic methods, and application of XAFS to highly-disperse systems of catalyst), and (5) the new advanced development of catalysts using synchrotron radiation and its applications (motor-car catalysts, light catalysts, fuel cells, nanotechnology, and trace amounts of catalyst in wastes). (M.H.)

Preparation of biodiesel from soybean oil by using heterogeneous catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ferdous, Kaniz; Rakib Uddin, M.; Islam, M.A. [Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science, Shah Jalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114 (Bangladesh); Khan, Maksudur R. [Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science, Shah Jalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114 (Bangladesh); Faculty of Chemical and Natural Resources Engineering, University Malaysia Pahang, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan, Pahang (Malaysia)

2013-07-01

The predicted shortage of fossil fuels and related environmental concerns has recently attracted significant attention to search alternative fuel. Biodiesel is one of the alternatives to fossil fuel. Now-a-days, most biodiesel is produced by the transesterification of oils using methanol and a homogeneous base catalyst. The use of homogeneous catalysts is normally limited to batch mode processing followed by a catalyst separation step. The immiscible glycerol phase, which accumulates during the course of the reaction, solubilizes the homogeneous base catalyst and therefore, withdraws from the reaction medium. Moreover, other difficulties of using homogeneous base catalysts relate to their sensitivity to free fatty acid (FFA) and water and resulting saponification phenomenon. High energy consumption and costly separation of the catalyst from the reaction mixture have inspired the use of heterogeneous catalyst. The use of heterogeneous catalysts does not lead to the formation of soaps through neutralization of FFA and saponification of oil. In the present paper, biodiesel was prepared from crude (soybean) oil by transesterification reaction using heterogeneous base catalyst name calcium oxide (CaO). Various reaction parameters were optimized and the biodiesel properties were evaluated.

Development of Sulfur and Carbon Tolerant Reforming Alloy Catalysts Aided Fundamental Atomistic Insights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suljo Linic

2008-12-31

Current hydrocarbon reforming catalysts suffer from rapid carbon and sulfur poisoning. Even though there is a tremendous incentive to develop more efficient catalysts, these materials are currently formulated using inefficient trial and error experimental approaches. We have utilized a hybrid experimental/theoretical approach, combining quantum Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and various state-of-the-art experimental tools, to formulate carbon tolerant reforming catalysts. We have employed DFT calculations to develop molecular insights into the elementary chemical transformations that lead to carbon poisoning of Ni catalysts. Based on the obtained molecular insights, we have identified, using DFT quantum calculation, various Ni alloy catalysts as potential carbon tolerant reforming catalysts. The alloy catalysts were synthesized and tested in steam reforming and partial oxidation of methane, propane, and isooctane. We demonstrated that the alloy catalysts are much more carbon-tolerant than monometallic Ni catalysts under nearly stoichiometric steam-to-carbon ratios. Under these conditions, monometallic Ni is rapidly poisoned by sp2 carbon deposits. The research approach is distinguished by two characteristics: (a) knowledge-based, bottomup approach, compared to the traditional trial and error approach, allows for a more efficient and systematic discovery of improved catalysts. (b) the focus is on exploring alloy materials which have been largely unexplored as potential reforming catalysts.

Development of high performance catalyst for off-gas treatment system in BWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kawasaki, Toru; Kawabe, Kenichi; Maeda, Kiyomitsu; Matsubara, Hirofumi; Aizawa, Motohiro; Iizuka, Hidehiro; Kumagai, Naoki

2011-01-01

A high performance catalyst for off-gas treatment system in boiling water reactor (BWR) has been developed. The hydrogen concentration in the outlets of off-gas recombiners increased at several BWR plants in Japan. These phenomena were caused by deactivation of catalysts for the recombiners, and we assumed two types of deactivation mechanisms. The first cause was an increase of the amount of boehmite in the catalyst support due to alternation of the manufacturing process. The other cause was catalysts being poisoned by cyclic siloxanes that were introduced from the silicone sealant used in the upstream of the off-gas recombiners. The catalysts were manufactured by Pt adhering on alumina support. The conventional catalyst (CAT-A) used the aqueous solution of the chloroplatinic acid for adhesion of Pt. A dechlorination process by autoclave was applied to prevent the equipment at the downstream of the recombiners from stress corrosion cracking, but this process caused the support material to transform into boehmite. The boehmite-rich catalysts were deactivated more easily by organic silicon than gamma alumina-rich catalysts. Therefore, the CAT-A was replaced at many Japanese BWR plants by the improved catalyst (CAT-B), and their support was transformed into more stable gamma alumina by heating at 500degC. However, the siloxanes keep being detected in the off-gas though the source of siloxane had been removed and there still remain possibilities to deactivate the catalysts. Therefore, we have been developing high performance catalyst (CAT-C) that has higher activity and durability against poisoning. We investigated the properties of CAT-C by performance tests and instrumental analyses. The dependency of thermal output of nuclear reactor, and durability against siloxane poisoning were investigated. We found that CAT-C showed higher performance and better properties than CAT-B did. Moreover, we have been developing a modeling method to evaluate the hydrogen recombination

A Review on Development and Applications of Bio-Inspired Superhydrophobic Textiles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ishaq Ahmad

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Bio-inspired engineering has been envisioned in a wide array of applications. All living bodies on Earth, including animals and plants, have well organized functional systems developed by nature. These naturally designed functional systems inspire scientists and engineers worldwide to mimic the system for practical applications by human beings. Researchers in the academic world and industries have been trying, for hundreds of years, to demonstrate how these natural phenomena could be translated into the real world to save lives, money and time. One of the most fascinating natural phenomena is the resistance of living bodies to contamination by dust and other pollutants, thus termed as self-cleaning phenomenon. This phenomenon has been observed in many plants, animals and insects and is termed as the Lotus Effect. With advancement in research and technology, attention has been given to the exploration of the underlying mechanisms of water repellency and self-cleaning. As a result, various concepts have been developed including Young’s equation, and Wenzel and Cassie–Baxter theories. The more we unravel this process, the more we get access to its implications and applications. A similar pursuit is emphasized in this review to explain the fundamental principles, mechanisms, past experimental approaches and ongoing research in the development of bio-inspired superhydrophobic textiles.

A Review on Development and Applications of Bio-Inspired Superhydrophobic Textiles

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Ishaq; Kan, Chi-wai

2016-01-01

Bio-inspired engineering has been envisioned in a wide array of applications. All living bodies on Earth, including animals and plants, have well organized functional systems developed by nature. These naturally designed functional systems inspire scientists and engineers worldwide to mimic the system for practical applications by human beings. Researchers in the academic world and industries have been trying, for hundreds of years, to demonstrate how these natural phenomena could be translated into the real world to save lives, money and time. One of the most fascinating natural phenomena is the resistance of living bodies to contamination by dust and other pollutants, thus termed as self-cleaning phenomenon. This phenomenon has been observed in many plants, animals and insects and is termed as the Lotus Effect. With advancement in research and technology, attention has been given to the exploration of the underlying mechanisms of water repellency and self-cleaning. As a result, various concepts have been developed including Young’s equation, and Wenzel and Cassie–Baxter theories. The more we unravel this process, the more we get access to its implications and applications. A similar pursuit is emphasized in this review to explain the fundamental principles, mechanisms, past experimental approaches and ongoing research in the development of bio-inspired superhydrophobic textiles. PMID:28774012

Development of industrial hydrogenating catalyst on rhenium base

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chistyakova, G.A.; Bat', I.I.; Rebrova, V.V.

1975-01-01

Processes for forming rhenium catalysts on carbon carrier and their catalytic properties in nitrobenzene (NB) reduction were studied. Application of an ammonia preparation to the carbon surface produced impregnated carbon saturated at room temperature with a water solution of the ammonia preparation, taken in a volume equal to the volumetric capacity of the carbon. With one impregnation, 2% rhenium was taken up. Catalysts containing more than 5% rhenium were obtained by impregnating the carbon with heating and use of more concentrated solutions. Catalysts made in this way and dried at 100 0 C had the composition Re 2 OH/carbon/. The most active catalysts were those reduced at 200-250 0 C; higher temperatures, up to 300-500 0 C, decreased the activity. Study of the catalytic properties of the rhenium catalysts in a liquid phase reduction of NB showed that the specific activity of rhenium depends only slightly on the content of the active component in the catalyst and is close to the specific activity of palladium and considerably exceeds that of nickel. Study of the effect of the NB concentration and hydrogen pressure on the activity and stability of the 5% rhenium catalyst indicated that with NB concentrations from 50 to 10% the process takes place at an essentially constant rate; the order of the reaction was close to zero with an apparent activation energy of about 7000 cal/mole. At pressures of 15-200 atm the yield with the 5% catalyst was proportional to the hydrogen pressure. A big advantage of the rhenium catalysts in the reduction of NB is their high selectivity. With a higher activity than palladium and nickel catalysts, 5% rhenium catalyst produces a high operating capacity in a wide range of contact charges, which has considerable significance for industrial use in contact apparatus of the column type. Comparison of the costs of rhenium catalysts and granular carbon carrier with those of nickel, platinum, and palladium showed that 5% rhenium catalyst can

Metalloporphyrin catalysts for oxygen reduction developed using computer-aided molecular design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ryba, G.N.; Hobbs, J.D.; Shelnutt, J.A. [and others

1996-04-01

The objective of this project is the development of a new class of metalloporphyrin materials used as catalsyts for use in fuel cell applications. The metalloporphyrins are excellent candidates for use as catalysts at both the anode and cathode. The catalysts reduce oxygen in 1 M potassium hydroxide, as well as in 2 M sulfuric acid. Covalent attachment to carbon supports is being investigated. The computer-aided molecular design is an iterative process, in which experimental results feed back into the design of future catalysts.

Development and evaluation of the INSPIRE measure of staff support for personal recovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Julie; Leamy, Mary; Bird, Victoria; Le Boutillier, Clair; Norton, Sam; Pesola, Francesca; Slade, Mike

2015-05-01

No individualised standardised measure of staff support for mental health recovery exists. To develop and evaluate a measure of staff support for recovery. initial draft of measure based on systematic review of recovery processes; consultation (n = 61); and piloting (n = 20). Psychometric evaluation: three rounds of data collection from mental health service users (n = 92). INSPIRE has two sub-scales. The 20-item Support sub-scale has convergent validity (0.60) and adequate sensitivity to change. Exploratory factor analysis (variance 71.4-85.1 %, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin 0.65-0.78) and internal consistency (range 0.82-0.85) indicate each recovery domain is adequately assessed. The 7-item Relationship sub-scale has convergent validity 0.69, test-retest reliability 0.75, internal consistency 0.89, a one-factor solution (variance 70.5 %, KMO 0.84) and adequate sensitivity to change. A 5-item Brief INSPIRE was also evaluated. INSPIRE and Brief INSPIRE demonstrate adequate psychometric properties, and can be recommended for research and clinical use.

Development of Non-Noble Metal Ni-Based Catalysts for Dehydrogenation of Methylcyclohexane

KAUST Repository

Shaikh Ali, Anaam

2016-01-01

to TOL has only been achieved using the noble Pt-based catalysts. The aim of this study is to develop non-noble, cost-effective metal catalysts that can show excellent catalytic performance, mainly maintaining high TOL selectivity achievable by Pt based

Smart Nacre-inspired Nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Jingsong; Cheng, Qunfeng

2018-03-15

Nacre-inspired nanocomposites with excellent mechanical properties have achieved remarkable attention in the past decades. The high performance of nacre-inspired nanocomposites is a good basis for the further application of smart devices. Recently, some smart nanocomposites inspired by nacre have demonstrated good mechanical properties as well as effective and stable stimuli-responsive functions. In this Concept, we summarize the recent development of smart nacre-inspired nanocomposites, including 1D fibers, 2D films and 3D bulk nanocomposites, in response to temperature, moisture, light, strain, and so on. We show that diverse smart nanocomposites could be designed by combining various conventional fabrication methods of nacre-inspired nanocomposites with responsive building blocks and interface interactions. The nacre-inspired strategy is versatile for different kinds of smart nanocomposites in extensive applications, such as strain sensors, displays, artificial muscles, robotics, and so on, and may act as an effective roadmap for designing smart nanocomposites in the future. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Star block-copolymers: Enzyme-inspired catalysts for oxidation of alcohols in water

KAUST Repository

Mugemana, Clement

2014-01-01

A number of fluorous amphiphilic star block-copolymers containing a tris(benzyltriazolylmethyl)amine motif have been prepared. These polymers assembled into well-defined nanostructures in water, and their mode of assembly could be controlled by changing the composition of the polymer. The polymers were used for enzyme-inspired catalysis of alcohol oxidation. This journal is © the Partner Organisations 2014.

Development of Sulfur and Carbon Tolerant Reforming Alloy Catalysts Aided by Fundamental Atomistics Insights

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suljo Linic

2006-08-31

Current hydrocarbon reforming catalysts suffer from rapid carbon and sulfur poisoning. Even though there is a tremendous incentive to develop more efficient catalysts, these materials are currently formulated using inefficient trial and error experimental approaches. We have utilized a novel hybrid experimental/theoretical approach, combining quantum Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and various state-of-the-art experimental tools, to formulate carbon tolerant reforming catalysts. We have employed DFT calculations to develop molecular insights into the elementary chemical transformations that lead to carbon poisoning of Ni catalysts. Based on the obtained molecular insights, we have identified, using DFT quantum calculation, Sn/Ni alloy as a potential carbon tolerant reforming catalyst. Sn/Ni alloy was synthesized and tested in steam reforming of methane, propane, and isooctane. We demonstrated that the alloy catalyst is carbon-tolerant under nearly stoichiometric steam-to-carbon ratios. Under these conditions, monometallic Ni is rapidly poisoned by sp2 carbon deposits. The research approach is distinguished by a few characteristics: (a) Knowledge-based, bottom-up approach, compared to the traditional trial and error approach, allows for a more efficient and systematic discovery of improved catalysts. (b) The focus is on exploring alloy materials which have been largely unexplored as potential reforming catalysts.

Development of wet-proofed catalyst and catalytic exchange process for tritium extraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Song, Myung Jae; Son, Soon Hwan; Chung, Yang Gun; Lee, Gab Bock [Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), Taejon (Korea, Republic of). Research Center

1996-12-31

To apply a liquid phase catalytic exchange(LPCE) process for the tritium extraction from tritiated heavy water, the wet proofed catalyst to allow the hydrogen isotopic exchange reaction between liquid water and hydrogen gas was developed. A styrene divinyl benzene copolymer was selected as am effective catalyst support and prepared by suspension copolymerization. After post-treatment, final catalyst supports were dipped in chloroplatinic acid solution. The catalyst support had a good physical properties at a particular preparation condition. The catalytic performance was successfully verified through hydrogen isotopic exchange reaction in the exchange column. A mathematical model for the tritium removal process consisted of LPCE front-ended process and cryogenic distillation process was established using the NTU-HTU method for LPCE column and the FUG method for cryogenic distillation column, respectively. A computer program was developed using the model and then used to investigate optimum design variables which affect the size of columns and tritium inventory (author). 84 refs., 113 figs.

Entrepreneurship as a Catalyst for Rural Tourism Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md Sharif Norhafiza

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The tourism industry is seen as capable of being an agent of change in the landscape of economic, social and environment of a tourist destination. Tourism activity has also generated employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to the local community as well as using available resources as tourist attractions. The tourism sector has the potential to be a catalyst for the development of entrepreneurship and small business performance. Through the development of tourism, the rural community has the opportunity to offer services or sell products to the both local and foreign tourists. To fulfill this purpose, local community participation in entrepreneurship is very important in order to develope the economic potential and to determine the direction of a development in rural areas. In the context of entrepreneurship, local participation is important not only as an entrepreneur and labor in this sector as well as complementary sectors of the others, but they can serve to encourage the involvement of other residents to join together to develop this entrepreneurial. This article aims to discuss the extent of entrepreneurship as a catalyst to the development of tourism in rural areas. Through active participation among community members, rural entrepreneurship will hopefully move towards prosperity and success of rural development.

Hydrocracking for oriented conversion of heavy oils. Recent trends for catalyst development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bertoncini, F.; Bonduelle, A.; Simon, L.J. [IFP Energies nouvelles, Lyon Establishment, Solaize (France). Catalysis and separation Division; Raybaud, P.; Dulot, H. [IFP Energies nouvelles, Lyon Establishment, Solaize (France). Process Desing Modeling Division

2011-07-01

As a result of the global economic crisis since the end of 2008, HCK operators have been looking to increase the profitability of the unit by processing heavier feed streams, including sourer VGO. These feeds present the drawbacks of increased H{sub 2} consumption, lower products yields and quality, and reduction in cycle lengths. Along with optimised process parameters, catalysts manufacturers are also investigating novel formulations to deal with challenging feeds. This lecture briefly summarizes the market trends (fuel demand, refinery's product specification) and the driving forces for HCK catalyst development in order to face these new challenges. Finally, this lecture highlights the innovating trends for HCK catalyst's development. Overview of various ideas developed recently in our research laboratory about (i) rational approaches for the atomic scale design of active phases (morphology, preparation, inhibitor effects), (ii) new preparations of transition metal sulphides for maximising the hydrogenating function (precursors, activation,.), (iii) rational approaches of HCK acidic supports for maximizing the selectivity and (iv) better understanding of HCK reactions. These improvements will be discussed in term of improvement of activity and selectivity of HCK catalyst to cope with future market needs. (orig.)

Development of supported noble metal catalyst for U(VI) to U(IV) reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyagi, Deepak; Varma, Salil; Bhattacharyya, K.; Tripathi, A.K.; Bharadwaj, S.R.; Jain, V.K.; Sahu, Avinash; Vincent, Tessy; Jagatap, B.N.; Wattal, P.K.

2015-01-01

Uranium-plutonium separation is an essential step in the PUREX process employed in spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. This partitioning in the PUREX process is achieved by selective reduction of Pu(IV) to Pu(III) using uranous nitrate as reductant and hydrazine as stabilizer. Currently in our Indian reprocessing plants, the requirement of uranous nitrate is met by electrolytic reduction of uranyl nitrate. This process, however, suffers from a major drawback of incomplete reduction with a maximum conversion of ~ 60%. Catalytic reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) is being considered as one of the promising alternatives to the electro-reduction process due to fast kinetics and near total conversion. Various catalysts involving noble metals like platinum (Adams catalyst, Pt/Al 2 O 3 , Pt/SiO 2 etc.) have been reported for the reduction. Sustained activity and stability of the catalyst under harsh reaction conditions are still the issues that need to be resolved. We present here the results on zirconia supported noble metal catalyst that is developed in BARC for reduction of uranyl nitrate to uranous nitrate. Supported noble metal catalysts with varying metal loadings (0.5 - 2 wt%) were prepared via support precipitation and noble metal impregnation. The green catalysts were reduced either by chemical reduction using hydrazine hydrate or by heating in hydrogen flow or combination of both the steps. These catalysts were characterized by various techniques such as, XRD, SEM, TEM, N 2 adsorption and H 2 chemisorption. Performance of these catalysts was evaluated for U(VI) to U(IV) reduction with uranyl nitrate feed using hydrazine as reductant. The results with the most active catalyst are named as 'BARC-CAT', which was developed in our lab. (author)

Development of Non-Noble Metal Ni-Based Catalysts for Dehydrogenation of Methylcyclohexane

KAUST Repository

Al-ShaikhAli, Anaam H.

2016-11-30

Liquid organic chemical hydride is a promising candidate for hydrogen storage and transport. Methylcyclohexane (MCH) to toluene (TOL) cycle has been considered as one of the feasible hydrogen carrier systems, but selective dehydrogenation of MCH to TOL has only been achieved using the noble Pt-based catalysts. The aim of this study is to develop non-noble, cost-effective metal catalysts that can show excellent catalytic performance, mainly maintaining high TOL selectivity achievable by Pt based catalysts. Mono-metallic Ni based catalyst is a well-known dehydrogenation catalyst, but the major drawback with Ni is its hydrogenolysis activity to cleave C-C bonds, which leads to inferior selectivity towards dehydrogenation of MCH to TOL. This study elucidate addition of the second metal to Ni based catalyst to improve the TOL selectivity. Herein, ubiquitous bi-metallic nanoparticles catalysts were investigated including (Ni–M, M: Ag, Zn, Sn or In) based catalysts. Among the catalysts investigated, the high TOL selectivity (> 99%) at low conversions was achieved effectively using the supported NiZn catalyst under flow of excess H2. In this work, a combined study of experimental and computational approaches was conducted to determine the main role of Zn over Ni based catalyst in promoting the TOL selectivity. A kinetic study using mono- and bimetallic Ni based catalysts was conducted to elucidate reaction mechanism and site requirement for MCH dehydrogenation reaction. The impact of different reaction conditions (feed compositions, temperature, space velocity and stability) and catalyst properties were evaluated. This study elucidates a distinctive mechanism of MCH dehydrogenation to TOL reaction over the Ni-based catalysts. Distinctive from Pt catalyst, a nearly positive half order with respect to H2 pressure was obtained for mono- and bi-metallic Ni based catalysts. This kinetic data was consistent with rate determining step as (somewhat paradoxically) hydrogenation

Bio-inspired networking

CERN Document Server

Câmara, Daniel

2015-01-01

Bio-inspired techniques are based on principles, or models, of biological systems. In general, natural systems present remarkable capabilities of resilience and adaptability. In this book, we explore how bio-inspired methods can solve different problems linked to computer networks. Future networks are expected to be autonomous, scalable and adaptive. During millions of years of evolution, nature has developed a number of different systems that present these and other characteristics required for the next generation networks. Indeed, a series of bio-inspired methods have been successfully used to solve the most diverse problems linked to computer networks. This book presents some of these techniques from a theoretical and practical point of view. Discusses the key concepts of bio-inspired networking to aid you in finding efficient networking solutions Delivers examples of techniques both in theoretical concepts and practical applications Helps you apply nature's dynamic resource and task management to your co...

Development of a Catalyst/Sorbent for Methane Reforming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

B.H. Shans; T.D. Wheelock; Justinus Satrio; Karl Albrecht; Tanya Harris Janine Keeley; Ben Silva; Aaron Shell; Molly Lohry; Zachary Beversdorf

2008-12-31

This project led to the further development of a combined catalyst and sorbent for improving the process technology required for converting CH{sub 4} and/or CO into H{sub 2} while simultaneously separating the CO{sub 2} byproduct all in a single step. The new material is in the form of core-in-shell pellets such that each pellet consists of a CaO core surrounded by an alumina-based shell capable of supporting a Ni catalyst. The Ni is capable of catalyzing the reactions of steam with CH{sub 4} or CO to produce H{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}, whereas the CaO is capable of absorbing the CO{sub 2} as it is produced. The absorption of CO{sub 2} eliminates the reaction inhibiting effects of CO{sub 2} and provides a means for recovering the CO{sub 2} in a useful form. The present work showed that the lifecycle performance of the sorbent can be improved either by incorporating a specific amount of MgO in the material or by calcining CaO derived from limestone at 1100 C for an extended period. It also showed how to prepare a strong shell material with a large surface area required for supporting an active Ni catalyst. The method combines graded particles of {alpha}-alumina with noncrystalline alumina having a large specific surface area together with a strength promoting additive followed by controlled calcination. Two different additives produced good results: 3 {micro}m limestone and lanthanum nitrate which were converted to their respective oxides upon calcination. The oxides partially reacted with the alumina to form aluminates which probably accounted for the strength enhancing properties of the additives. The use of lanthanum made it possible to calcine the shell material at a lower temperature, which was less detrimental to the surface area, but still capable of producing a strong shell. Core-in-shell pellets made with the improved shell materials and impregnated with a Ni catalyst were used for steam reforming CH{sub 4} at different temperatures and pressures. Under all

Recent Scientific Progress on Developing Supported Ni Catalysts for Dry (CO2 Reforming of Methane

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun Ook Seo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Two major green house gases (CO2 and CH4 can be converted into useful synthetic gas (H2 and CO during dry reforming of methane (DRM reaction, and a lot of scientific efforts has been made to develop efficient catalysts for dry reforming of methane (DRM. Noble metal-based catalysts can effectively assist DRM reaction, however they are not economically viable. Alternatively, non-noble based catalysts have been studied so far, and supported Ni catalysts have been considered as a promising candidate for DRM catalyst. Main drawback of Ni catalysts is its catalytic instability under operating conditions of DRM (>700 °C. Recently, it has been demonstrated that the appropriate choice of metal-oxide supports can address this issue since the chemical and physical of metal-oxide supports can prevent coke formation and stabilize the small Ni nanoparticles under harsh conditions of DRM operation. This mini-review covers the recent scientific findings on the development of supported Ni catalysts for DRM reaction, including the synthetic methods of supported Ni nanoparticles with high sintering resistance.

Sixtieth Anniversary of Ziegler-Natta Catalysts and Stereospecific Polymerization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janović Z.

2015-07-01

, a new family of transition metal complexes known as metallocene catalysts were discovered, based on biscyclopentadienyl and transition metal as Zr, Hf and Ti and appropriate cocatalysts. There major advantage is solubility, high catalytic activity, and the easy tailoring of the polymer microstructure. In 1986, the first synthesis of syndiotactic polystyrene was performed using monocyclopentadienyl/titanium chloride catalyst. The development of catalysts based on diimine complexes of nickel and palladium, and of phenoxy-imino complexes of zirconium and nickel, resulted in polyolefins of different structure and morphology, and many new copolymers of ethylene particularly with polar monomers, producing a variety of new functional polymers, reactive oligomers, and block copolymers. The described discoveries of organometallic catalysts and their applications are one of the most valid models and sources of inspiration for the progress in chemistry and chemical engineering.

Development of porous structure simulator for multi-scale simulation of irregular porous catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koyama, Michihisa; Suzuki, Ai; Sahnoun, Riadh; Tsuboi, Hideyuki; Hatakeyama, Nozomu; Endou, Akira; Takaba, Hiromitsu; Kubo, Momoji; Del Carpio, Carlos A.; Miyamoto, Akira

2008-01-01

Efficient development of highly functional porous materials, used as catalysts in the automobile industry, demands a meticulous knowledge of the nano-scale interface at the electronic and atomistic scale. However, it is often difficult to correlate the microscopic interfacial interactions with macroscopic characteristics of the materials; for instance, the interaction between a precious metal and its support oxide with long-term sintering properties of the catalyst. Multi-scale computational chemistry approaches can contribute to bridge the gap between micro- and macroscopic characteristics of these materials; however this type of multi-scale simulations has been difficult to apply especially to porous materials. To overcome this problem, we have developed a novel mesoscopic approach based on a porous structure simulator. This simulator can construct automatically irregular porous structures on a computer, enabling simulations with complex meso-scale structures. Moreover, in this work we have developed a new method to simulate long-term sintering properties of metal particles on porous catalysts. Finally, we have applied the method to the simulation of sintering properties of Pt on alumina support. This newly developed method has enabled us to propose a multi-scale simulation approach for porous catalysts

Visible-Light-Responsive Catalyst Development for Volatile Organic Carbon Remediation Project

Science.gov (United States)

Zeitlin, Nancy; Hintze, Paul E.; Coutts, Janelle

2015-01-01

Photocatalysis is a process in which light energy is used to 'activate' oxidation/reduction reactions. Unmodified titanium dioxide (TiO2), a common photocatalyst, requires high-energy UV light for activation due to its large band gap (3.2 eV). Modification of TiO2 can reduce this band gap, leading to visible-light-responsive (VLR) photocatalysts. These catalysts can utilize solar and/or visible wavelength LED lamps as an activation source, replacing mercury-containing UV lamps, to create a "greener," more energy-efficient means for air and water revitalization. Recently, KSC developed several VLR catalysts that, on preliminary evaluation, possessed high catalytic activity within the visible spectrum; these samples out-performed existing commercial VLR catalysts.

Advanced Aqueous Phase Catalyst Development using Combinatorial Methods, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Combinatorial methods are proposed to develop advanced Aqueous Oxidation Catalysts (AOCs) with the capability to mineralize organic contaminants present in effluents...

Inspiration til undervisning på museer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hyllested, Trine Elisabeth

2015-01-01

collection and arrangement of knowledge meant to give a general view of, to inspire and to develop teaching at museums in Denmark......collection and arrangement of knowledge meant to give a general view of, to inspire and to develop teaching at museums in Denmark...

High-Activity Dealloyed Catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kongkanand, Anusorn [General Motors LLC, Pontiac, MI (United States)

2014-09-30

Reduction of costly Pt usage in proton exchange membrane fuel cell electrodes is one of the major challenges towards development and commercialization of fuel cell vehicles. Although few have met the initial-kinetic activity requirements in a realistic fuel cell device, no catalyst material has ever met the demanding fuel cell durability targets set by DOE. In this project, a team of 4 universities and 2 companies came together to investigate a concept that appeared promising in preliminary non-fuel cell tests then to further develop the catalyst to a mature level ready for vehicle implementation. The team consists of academia with technical leadership in their respective areas, a catalyst supplier, and a fuel cell system integrator.The tightly collaborative project enabled development of a highly active and durable catalyst with performance that significantly exceeds that of previous catalysts and meets the DOE targets for the first time (Figure 1A). The catalyst was then further evaluated in full-active-area stack in a realistic vehicle operating condition (Figure 1B). This is the first public demonstration that one can realize the performance benefit and Pt cost reduction over a conventional pure Pt catalyst in a long-term realistic PEMFC system. Furthermore, systematic analyses of a range of catalysts with different performance after fuel cell testing allowed for correlation between catalyst microstructure and its electrocatalytic activity and durability. This will in turn aid future catalyst development.

Geo-inspired model: Agents vectors naturals inspired by the environmental management (AVNG of water tributaries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edwin Eduardo Millán Rojas

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Context: Management to care for the environment and the Earth (geo can be source of inspiration for developing models that allow addressing complexity issues; the objective of this research was to develop an additional aspect of the inspired models. The geoinspired model has two features, the first covering aspects related to environmental management and the behavior of natural resources, and the second has a component of spatial location associated with existing objects on the Earth's surface. Method: The approach developed in the research is descriptive and its main objective is the representation or characterization of a case study within a particular context. Results: The result was the design of a model to emulate the natural behavior of the water tributaries of the Amazon foothills, in order to extend the application of the inspired models and allow the use of elements such as geo-referencing and environmental management. The proposed geoinspired model is called “natural vectors agents inspired in environmental management”. Conclusions: The agents vectors naturals inspired by the environmental are polyform elements that can assume the behavior of environmental entities, which makes it possible to achieve progress in other fields of environmental management (use of soil, climate, flora, fauna, and link environmental issues with the structure of the proposed model.

Catalytic applications of bio-inspired nanomaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Pacardo, Dennis Kien Balaong

The biomimetic synthesis of Pd nanoparticles was presented using the Pd4 peptide, TSNAVHPTLRHL, isolated from combinatorial phage display library. Using this approach, nearly monodisperse and spherical Pd nanoparticles were generated with an average diameter of 1.9 +/- 0.4 nm. The peptide-based nanocatalyst were employed in the Stille coupling reaction under energy-efficient and environmentally friendly reaction conditions of aqueous solvent, room temperature and very low catalyst loading. To this end, the Pd nanocatalyst generated high turnover frequency (TOF) value and quantitative yields using ≥ 0.005 mol% Pd as well as catalytic activities with different aryl halides containing electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. The Pd4-capped Pd nanoparticles followed the atom-leaching mechanism and were found to be selective with respect to substrate identity. On the other hand, the naturally-occurring R5 peptide (SSKKSGSYSGSKGSKRRIL) was employed in the synthesis of biotemplated Pd nanomaterials which showed morphological changes as a function of Pd:peptide ratio. TOF analysis for hydrogenation of olefinic alcohols showed similar catalytic activity regardless of nanomorphology. Determination of catalytic properties of these bio-inspired nanomaterials are important as they serve as model system for alternative green catalyst with applications in industrially important transformations.

Bio-inspired computation in telecommunications

CERN Document Server

Yang, Xin-She; Ting, TO

2015-01-01

Bio-inspired computation, especially those based on swarm intelligence, has become increasingly popular in the last decade. Bio-Inspired Computation in Telecommunications reviews the latest developments in bio-inspired computation from both theory and application as they relate to telecommunications and image processing, providing a complete resource that analyzes and discusses the latest and future trends in research directions. Written by recognized experts, this is a must-have guide for researchers, telecommunication engineers, computer scientists and PhD students.

Writing Inspired

Science.gov (United States)

Tischhauser, Karen

2015-01-01

Students need inspiration to write. Assigning is not teaching. In order to inspire students to write fiction worth reading, teachers must take them through the process of writing. Physical objects inspire good writing with depth. In this article, the reader will be taken through the process of inspiring young writers through the use of boxes.…

Inspiration from heart development: Biomimetic development of functional human cardiac organoids.

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Dylan J; Coyle, Robert C; Tan, Yu; Jia, Jia; Wong, Kerri; Toomer, Katelynn; Menick, Donald R; Mei, Ying

2017-10-01

Recent progress in human organoids has provided 3D tissue systems to model human development, diseases, as well as develop cell delivery systems for regenerative therapies. While direct differentiation of human embryoid bodies holds great promise for cardiac organoid production, intramyocardial cell organization during heart development provides biological foundation to fabricate human cardiac organoids with defined cell types. Inspired by the intramyocardial organization events in coronary vasculogenesis, where a diverse, yet defined, mixture of cardiac cell types self-organizes into functional myocardium in the absence of blood flow, we have developed a defined method to produce scaffold-free human cardiac organoids that structurally and functionally resembled the lumenized vascular network in the developing myocardium, supported hiPSC-CM development and possessed fundamental cardiac tissue-level functions. In particular, this development-driven strategy offers a robust, tunable system to examine the contributions of individual cell types, matrix materials and additional factors for developmental insight, biomimetic matrix composition to advance biomaterial design, tissue/organ-level drug screening, and cell therapy for heart repair. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of improved iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts. Final technical report: Project 6464

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bukur, D.B.; Ledakowicz, S.; Koranne, M. [Texas A and M Univ., College Station, TX (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering] [and others

1994-02-28

Despite the current worldwide oil glut, the United States will ultimately require large-scale production of liquid (transportation) fuels from coal. Slurry phase Fischer Tropsch (FT) technology, with its versatile product slate, may be expected to play a major role in production of transportation fuels via indirect coal liquefaction. Texas A&M University (TAMU) with sponsorship from the US Department of Energy, Center for Energy and Mineral Resources at TAMU, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., has been working on development of improved iron FT catalysts and characterization of hydrodynamic parameters in two- and three-phase bubble columns with FT derived waxes. Our previous studies have provided an improved understanding of the role of promoters (Cu and K), binders (silica) and pretreatment procedures on catalyst activity, selectivity and longevity (deactivation). The objective of the present contract was to develop improved catalysts with enhanced slurry phase activity and higher selectivity to liquid fuels and wax. This was accomplished through systematic studies of the effects of pretreatment procedures and variations in catalyst composition (promoters and binders). The major accomplishments and results in each of these two main areas of research are summarized here.

Development of styrene divinyl benzene catalyst in isotopic exchange reaction of water and hydrogen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morishita, Teizo; Noda, Shigeyuki; Tan, Tsutomu; Noguchi, Hiroshi

1982-01-01

Styrene divinyl benzene copolymer (SDBC) is hydrophobic, and porous with large specific surface area. Utilizing these properties, the SDBC was used for the carrier of catalyst in water-hydrogen exchange reaction process, and the hydrophobic platinum catalyst with very high performance was able to be developed. However, the SDBC is usually fine particles smaller than 1 mm, and is not suitable as the filling catalyst for exchange reaction towers. Therefore, in this study, using only platinum as a catalyst metal, the improvement of the property of carriers was emphatically examined, and platinum bearing was proved with an optical or electron microscope. As the result, it was found that the SDBC catalyst showed high activity practically usable as the hydrophobic catalyst for heavy water or tritium exchange reaction. The characteristics of SDBC are explained. The manufacturing processes of the catalyst by making SDBC carriers with fine particles and letting them bear platinum are described. The results of the trial manufacture of spherical, extrusion-formed and honeycomb carrier catalysts are reported. Platinum must be dispersed over the large specific surface area of SDBC carriers. (Kako, I.)

Combining Bio-inspired Sensing with Bio-inspired Locomotion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shaikh, Danish; Hallam, John; Christensen-Dalsgaard, Jakob

In this paper we present a preliminary Braitenberg vehicle–like approach to combine bio-inspired audition with bio-inspired quadruped locomotion in simulation. Locomotion gaits of the salamander–like robot Salamandra robotica are modified by a lizard’s peripheral auditory system model that modula......In this paper we present a preliminary Braitenberg vehicle–like approach to combine bio-inspired audition with bio-inspired quadruped locomotion in simulation. Locomotion gaits of the salamander–like robot Salamandra robotica are modified by a lizard’s peripheral auditory system model...

The Manipulation of Hydrophobicity in Catalyst Design for Applications of Aerobic Alcohols Oxidation and Electrocatalytic Water Oxidation

KAUST Repository

Chen, Batian

2016-05-17

Hydrophobicity is the generalized characteristic of non-polar substances that brings about their exclusion from aqueous phases. This property, entropic in its nature, drives key self-assembly and phase separation processes in water. Protein folding, the formation of DNA double helix, the existence of lipid bilayers and the wetting properties of leaf surfaces are all due to hydrophobic interactions. Inspired by Nature, we aimed to use hydrophobicity for creating novel and improved catalytic systems. (I) A number of fluorous amphiphilic star block-copolymers containing a tris(benzyltriazolylmethyl)amine motif have been prepared. These polymers assembled into well-defined nanostructures in water, and their mode of assembly could be controlled by changing the composition of the polymer. The polymers were used for enzyme-inspired catalysis of alcohol oxidation. (II) An enzyme-inspired catalytic system based on a rationally designed multifunctional surfactant was developed. The resulting micelles feature metal-binding sites and stable free radical moieties as well as fluorous pockets that attract and preconcentrate molecular oxygen. In the presence of copper ions, the micelles effect chemoselective aerobic alcohol oxidation under ambient conditions in water, a transformation that is challenging to achieve nonenzymatically. (III) Development of a facile means of photo/electrocatalytic water splitting is one of the main barriers to establishing of a solar hydrogen economy. Of the two half-reactions involved in splitting water into O2 and H2, water oxidation presents the most challenge due to its mechanistic complexity. A practical water oxidation catalyst must be highly active, yet inexpensive and indefinitely stable under harsh oxidative conditions. Here, I shall describe the synthesis of a library of molecular water oxidation catalysts based on the Co complex of tris(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)amine, (BimH)3. A wide range of catalysts differing in their electronic properties

The Difference Se Makes: A Bio-Inspired Dppf-Supported Nickel Selenolate Complex Boosts Dihydrogen Evolution with High Oxygen Tolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Zhong-Hua; Tao, Yun-Wen; He, Quan-Feng; Wu, Qiao-Yu; Cheng, Li-Ping; Wei, Zhan-Hua; Wu, Ji-Huai; Lin, Jin-Qing; Sun, Di; Zhang, Qi-Chun; Tian, Dan; Luo, Geng-Geng

2018-06-12

Inspired by the metal active sites of [NiFeSe]-hydrogenases, a dppf-supported nickel(II) selenolate complex (dppf=1,1'-bis(diphenylphosphino)ferrocene) shows high catalytic activity for electrochemical proton reduction with a remarkable enzyme-like H 2 evolution turnover frequency (TOF) of 7838 s -1 under an Ar atmosphere, which markedly surpasses the activity of a dppf-supported nickel(II) thiolate analogue with a low TOF of 600 s -1 . A combined study of electrochemical experiments and DFT calculations shed light on the catalytic process, suggesting that selenium atom as a bio-inspired proton relay plays a key role in proton exchange and enhancing catalytic activity of H 2 production. For the first time, this type of Ni selenolate-containing electrocatalyst displays a high degree of O 2 and H 2 tolerance. Our results should encourage the development of the design of highly efficient oxygen-tolerant Ni selenolate molecular catalysts. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Studies on recycling and utilization of spent catalysts. Preparation of active hydrodemetallization catalyst compositions from spent residue hydroprocessing catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marafi, Meena; Stanislaus, Antony [Petroleum Refining Department, Petroleum Research and Studies Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P.O. Box 24885, Safat (Kuwait)

2007-02-15

Spent catalysts form a major source of solid wastes in the petroleum refining industries. Due to environmental concerns, increasing emphasis has been placed on the development of recycling processes for the waste catalyst materials as much as possible. In the present study the potential reuse of spent catalysts in the preparation of active new catalysts for residual oil hydrotreating was examined. A series of catalysts were prepared by mixing and extruding spent residue hydroprocessing catalysts that contained C, V, Mo, Ni and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with boehmite in different proportions. All prepared catalysts were characterized by chemical analysis and by surface area, pore volume, pore size and crushing strength measurements. The hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodemetallization (HDM) activities of the catalysts were evaluated by testing in a high pressure fixed-bed microreactor unit using Kuwait atmospheric residue as feed. A commercial HDM catalyst was also tested under similar operating conditions and their HDS and HDM activities were compared with that of the prepared catalysts. The results revealed that catalyst prepared with addition of up to 40 wt% spent catalyst to boehmite had fairly high surface area and pore volume together with large pores. The catalyst prepared by mixing and extruding about 40 wt% spent catalyst with boehmite was relatively more active for promoting HDM and HDS reactions than a reference commercial HDM catalyst. The formation of some kind of new active sites from the metals (V, Mo and Ni) present in the spent catalyst is suggested to be responsible for the high HDM activity of the prepared catalyst. (author)

Christian Church: A Catalyst for Economic Development in Nigeria ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Christian Church: A Catalyst for Economic Development in Nigeria. ... African Research Review ... The Nigerian economy had a truncated history from independence to present times and the economy has suffered series of economic instability because of a long period of unsustained growth in the per capital real income of ...

Development of Water Detritiation Process Using the Hydrophobic Platinum Catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahn, D.H.; Paek, S.; Choi, H.J.; Kim, K.R.; Chung, H.; Yim, S.P.; Lee, M.S.

2006-01-01

Radioactive emissions and occupational doses by tritium are mainly caused by tritiated water escaping from equipment in the nuclear industry. Improving the leak-tightness of equipment is effective in reducing emissions and internal dose but is not a long-term solution. Water detritiation was consider to be the most effective tritium control option since tritium is removed right from the source. The WTRF (Wolsong Tritium Removal Facility) is under construction now with the completion date of June, 2006 in Korea. It is designed to remove tritium from tritiated heavy water in each of the existing four Candu units at Wolsong site. We developed a hydrophobic platinum catalyst (Pt/SDBC catalyst) that would be used at the LPCE (Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange) column in the WTRF. The catalytic rate constants of the newly developed catalyst for the deuterium exchange reaction between water vapor and hydrogen gas were measured in a recycle reactor. The catalytic rate constants of the Pt/SDBC catalyst decreased with reaction time and were much greater than that required, 2.0 x 10 -4 mol (D 2 )/s/g(pellet) in the design of the WTRF. Tritium removal efficiency of the WTRF, which is important for a safe and reliable operation of the facility, depends on the design and operating variables. A theoretical model based on the design and operating variables of the LPCE process was set up, and the equations between the parameters were derived. Numerical calculation result from a computer program shows steep increase of the detritiation factor of the LPCE process with respect to temperature increase and mild increase with respect to pressure decrease. The other parametric study shows that the calculated detritiation factors increase as the catalyst efficiency, number of theoretical stages of hydrophilic packing, the detritiation factor of cryogenic distillation system and the total number of sections increase. We also proceeded with the experiments for the hydrogen isotopic exchange

INSPIRE from the JRC Point of View

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlado Cetl

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper summarises some recent developments in INSPIRE implementation from the JRC (Joint Research Centre point of view. The INSPIRE process started around 11 years ago and today, clear results and benefits can be seen. Spatial data are more accessible and shared more frequently between countries and at the European level. In addition to this, efficient, unified coordination and collaboration between different stakeholders and participants has been achieved, which is another great success. The JRC, as a scientific think-tank of the European Commission, has played a very important role in this process from the very beginning. This role is in line with its mission, which is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of European Union (EU policies. The JRC acts as the overall technical coordinator of INSPIRE, but it also carries out the activities necessary to support the coherent implementation of INSPIRE, by helping member states in the implementation process. Experiences drawn from collaboration and negotiation in each country and at the European level will be of great importance in the revision of the INSPIRE Directive, which is envisaged for 2014. Keywords: spatial data infrastructure (SDI; INSPIRE; development; Joint Research Centre (JRC

Development of low light-off catalyst; Teion kassei ni sugureta shokubai no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takemoto, T; Ichikawa, S; Koda, Y; Yamamoto, E; Sumida, H; Yamada, H; Shigetsu, M; Komatsu, K [Mazda Motor Corp., Tokyo (Japan)

1997-10-01

A new type of three way catalyst was developed in order to reduce HC, CO and NOx in cold exhaust gas. This catalyst consists of double layer, and has a base support material of alumina and oxygen storage components (OSC) loaded with active metals including platinum. palladium and rhodium. It has good light-off performance and high catalytic activity. This catalyst includes two types of OSC. One is CeO2, and the other is CePrO2 that makes possible to improve NOx conversion at high exhaust gas temperature. 8 refs., 13 figs., 2 tabs.

Development of catalyst for diesel engine; Diesel engine yo shokubai no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ueno, H; Furutani, T; Nagami, T [Toyota Motor Corp., Aichi (Japan); Aono, N; Goshima, H; Kasahara, K [Cataler Industrial Co. Ltd., Shizuoka (Japan)

1997-10-01

The new concept catalyst for diesel engine has been developed. When the exhaust temperature is low, SOF and HC are temporarily adsorbed by the adsorbent within the catalyst and are oxidized as the temperature rise. The process of this development have manifested as follows. (1) The coating material is important factor to govern the oxidation activity. (2) SOF is reduced by the coating material in low temperature less than 200degC. (3) The coating material, which has low SO2 adsorbing rate suppress the sulfate formation at high temperature. 2 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

Development of Coke-tolerant Transition Metal Catalysts for Dry Reforming of Methane

KAUST Repository

Al-Sabban, Bedour E.

2016-11-07

Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is an attractive and promising process for the conversion of methane and carbon dioxide which are the most abundant carbon sources into valuable syngas. The produced syngas, which is a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, can be used as intermediates in the manufacture of numerous chemicals. To achieve high conversion, DRM reaction is operated at high temperatures (700-900 °C) that can cause major drawbacks of catalyst deactivation by carbon deposition, metal sintering or metal oxidation. Therefore, the primary goal is to develop a metal based catalyst for DRM that can completely suppress carbon formation by designing the catalyst composition. The strategy of this work was to synthesize Ni-based catalysts all of which prepared by homogeneous deposition precipitation method (HDP) to produce nanoparticles with narrow size distribution. In addition, control the reactivity of the metal by finely tuning the bimetallic composition and the reaction conditions in terms of reaction temperature and pressure. The highly endothermic dry reforming of methane proceeds via CH4 decomposition to leave surface carbon species, followed by removal of C with CO2-derived species to give CO. Tuning the reactivity of the active metal towards these reactions during DRM allows in principle the catalyst surface to remain active and clean without carbon deposition for a long-term. The initial attempt was to improve the resistance of Ni catalyst towards carbon deposition, therefore, a series of 5 wt.% bimetallic Ni9Pt1 were supported on various metal oxides (Al2O3, CeO2, and ZrO2). The addition of small amount of noble metal improved the stability of the catalyst compared to their monometallic Ni and Pt catalysts, but still high amount of carbon (> 0.1 wt.%) was formed after 24 h of the reaction. The obtained results showed that the catalytic performance, particle size and amount of deposited carbon depends on the nature of support. Among the tested

In-situ characterization of heterogeneous catalysts

CERN Document Server

Rodriguez, Jose A; Chupas, Peter J

2013-01-01

Helps researchers develop new catalysts for sustainable fuel and chemical production Reviewing the latest developments in the field, this book explores the in-situ characterization of heterogeneous catalysts, enabling readers to take full advantage of the sophisticated techniques used to study heterogeneous catalysts and reaction mechanisms. In using these techniques, readers can learn to improve the selectivity and the performance of catalysts and how to prepare catalysts as efficiently as possible, with minimum waste. In-situ Characterization of Heterogeneous Catalysts feat

Recent Development of Catalysts for Removal of Volatile Organic Compounds in Flue Gas by Combustion: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Tomatis

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Volatile organic compounds (VOCs emitted from anthropogenic sources pose direct and indirect hazards to both atmospheric environment and human health due to their contribution to the formation of photochemical smog and potential toxicity including carcinogenicity. Therefore, to abate VOCs emission, the catalytic oxidation process has been extensively studied in laboratories and widely applied in various industries. This report is mainly focused on the benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX with additional discussion about chlorinated VOCs. This review covers the recent developments in catalytic combustion of VOCs over noble metal catalysts, nonnoble metal catalysts, perovskite catalysts, spinel catalysts, and dual functional adsorbent-catalysts. In addition, the effects of supports, coke formation, and water effects have also been discussed. To develop efficient and cost-effective catalysts for VOCs removal, further research in catalytic oxidation might need to be carried out to strengthen the understanding of catalytic mechanisms involved.

Development and reactivity tests of Ce-Zr-based Claus catalysts for coal gas cleanup

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

No-Kuk Park; Dong Cheul Han; Gi Bo Han; Si Ok Ryu; Tae Jin Lee; Ki Jun Yoon [Yeungnam University, Gyeongbuk (Republic of Korea). National Research Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology

2007-09-15

Claus reaction (2H{sub 2}S + SO{sub 2} {leftrightarrow} 3/nS{sub n} + 2H{sub 2}O) was used to clean the gasified coal gas and the reactivity of several metal oxide-based catalysts on Claus reaction was investigated at various operating conditions. In order to convert H{sub 2}S contained in the gasified coal gas to elemental sulfur during Claus reaction, the catalysts having the high activity under the highly reducing condition with the moisture should be developed. CeO{sub 2}, ZrO{sub 2}, and Ce{sub 1-x}Zr{sub x}O{sub 2} catalysts were prepared for Claus reaction and their reactivity changes due to the existence of the reducing gases and H{sub 2}O in the fuel gas was investigated in this study. The Ce-based catalysts shows that their activity was deteriorated by the reduction of the catalyst due to the reducing gases at higher than 220{sup o}C. Meanwhile, the effect of the reducing gases on the catalytic activity was not considerable at low temperature. The activities of all three catalysts were degraded on the condition that the moisture existed in the test gas. Specifically, the Ce-based catalysts were remarkably deactivated by their sulfation. The Ce-Zr-based catalyst had a high catalytic activity when the reducing gases and the moisture co-existed in the simulated fuel gas. The deactivation of the Ce-Zr-based catalyst was not observed in this study. The lattice oxygen of the Ce-based catalyst was used for the oxidation of H{sub 2}S and the lattice oxygen vacancy on the catalyst was contributed to the reduction of SO{sub 2}. ZrO{sub 2} added to the Ce-Zr-based catalyst improved the redox properties of the catalyst in Claus reaction by increasing the mobility of the lattice oxygen of CeO{sub 2}. 21 refs., 14 figs.

Inspired Responses

Science.gov (United States)

Steele, Carol Frederick

2011-01-01

In terms of teacher quality, Steele believes the best teachers have reached a stage she terms inspired, and that teachers move progressively through the stages of unaware, aware, and capable until the most reflective teachers finally reach the inspired level. Inspired teachers have a wide repertoire of teaching and class management techniques and…

Perceptually-Inspired Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming Lin

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Human sensory systems allow individuals to see, hear, touch, and interact with the surrounding physical environment. Understanding human perception and its limit enables us to better exploit the psychophysics of human perceptual systems to design more efficient, adaptive algorithms and develop perceptually-inspired computational models. In this talk, I will survey some of recent efforts on perceptually-inspired computing with applications to crowd simulation and multimodal interaction. In particular, I will present data-driven personality modeling based on the results of user studies, example-guided physics-based sound synthesis using auditory perception, as well as perceptually-inspired simplification for multimodal interaction. These perceptually guided principles can be used to accelerating multi-modal interaction and visual computing, thereby creating more natural human-computer interaction and providing more immersive experiences. I will also present their use in interactive applications for entertainment, such as video games, computer animation, and shared social experience. I will conclude by discussing possible future research directions.

A bio-inspired N-doped porous carbon electrocatalyst with hierarchical superstructure for efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Yue-E.; Yan, Jiajie; Ouyang, Yue; Lu, Hengyi; Lai, Feili; Wu, Yue; Liu, Tianxi

2018-06-01

The bio-inspired hierarchical "grape cluster" superstructure provides an effective integration of one-dimensional carbon nanofibers (CNF) with isolated carbonaceous nanoparticles into three-dimensional (3D) conductive frameworks for efficient electron and mass transfer. Herein, a 3D N-doped porous carbon electrocatalyst consisting of carbon nanofibers with grape-like N-doped hollow carbon particles (CNF@NC) has been prepared through a simple electrospinning strategy combined with in-situ growth and carbonization processes. Such a bio-inspired hierarchically organized conductive network largely facilitates both the mass diffusion and electron transfer during the oxygen reduction reactions (ORR). Therefore, the metal-free CNF@NC catalyst demonstrates superior catalytic activity with an absolute four-electron transfer mechanism, strong methanol tolerance and good long-term stability towards ORR in alkaline media.

THE THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT OF SUPPORTED METAL-COMPLEX CATALYSTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. L. Rakitskaya

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Some results of the investigations for the purpose of development of supported metal-complex catalysts for phosphine and carbon monoxide oxidation as well as for ozone decomposition are summarized. The activity of such catalysts has been found to depend not only on a nature of a central atom and ligands but also on a nature of supports. The theoretical model explaining mechanisms of surface complex formation taking into account the influence of physicochemical and structural-adsorption properties of the supports (SiO2, Al2O3, carbon materials, zeolites, dispersed silicas, lamellar aluminosilicates, etc. has been proposed. For quantitative description of the support effect, such a thermodynamic parameter as the adsorbed water activity assignable with the help of water vapor adsorption isotherms has been introduced. Successive stability constants of the surface metal complexes have been calculated by the kinetic method and, hence, compositions and partial catalytic activity of the latter have been determined. Taking into account the competitive adsorption of metal ions on the supports, some schemes of formation of surface bimetallic complexes have been suggested. The compositions of the supported metal-complex catalysts have been optimized to meet requirements of their use in respirators and plants for air purification from foregoing gaseous toxicants.

Development of refractory ceramic using waste of petrochemical catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedroso, M.A.; Mymrine, V.

2011-01-01

The manufacturing of catalytic catalysts by the company FCC SA. for the Brazilian petrochemical industry is 25,000 tons per annum, which after going through the cracking process cannot undergo regeneration any longer, being wasted with humidity near 70%. To increase the economical and environmental efficiency of the use of this rejected catalyst, without preliminary drying, a method of using it as main raw material in composition like kaolin was developed, as well as in ash and glass for the manufacturing of common (regular) and refractory ceramic. The mixture of these components were burnt at temperatures of 1100 deg C, 1200°C, 1250°C and 1300°C. The ceramics with 30% and 40% in weight of wasted catalyst, sintered in 1250 deg C or 1300 deg C have flexion of 10,8 - 12,9 MPa. After burning the mixtures, the chemical interaction of the initial components was determined by the methods of RXD, MEV and EDS, synthesizing new minerals like Diopside Ca(Mg,Al)(Si,Al) 2 O 6 , Nepheline (K,Na)AlSiO 4 , Lazurite Na 8 [Al 2 SiO 4 ] 6 [SO 4 ,S] 2 , Magnetite Fe 3 O 4 , Albite Na Al Si 3 O 8 and high content of vitreous amorphous phase. (author)

Development of polymer catalyst manufacturing technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, Heung Seok; Kim, Yong Ik; Lee, Han Soo; Kang, Hui Seok; Seong, Ki Ung; Na, Jeong Won; An, Do Hui; Kim, Kwang Rak; Cho, Young Hyeon; Baek, Seung Uh; Jeong, Yong Won

1993-01-01

Heavy water is used as moderator and coolant in Pressurized Heavy Water Power Plants. According to the governmental long-term plan for power supply, Korea is scheduled to construct new six pressurized heavy water power plants till the year 2006. Total heavy water demand for these plants would be 3892 Mg during the period 1992-2006. Reformed hydrogen processes are considered best suited to Korea. Hydrophobic catalysts for this process were manufactured and the performance of hydrogen isotope exchance was investigated. The overall mass transfer coefficients varied between 0.004 and 2.295 m 3 HD/m 3 Bed.sec. and heavy water separation processes using the catalysts were optimized. (Author)

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR IRON AND COBALT FISCHER-TROPSCH CATALYSTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burtron H. Davis

1999-01-01

The impact of activation procedure on the phase composition of precipitated iron Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalysts has been studied. Catalyst samples taken during activation and FT synthesis have been characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy. Formation of iron carbide is necessary for high FT activity. Hydrogen activation of precipitated iron catalysts results in reduction to predominantly metallic iron and Fe(sub 3)O(sub 4). Metallic iron is not stable under FT 3 4 conditions and is rapidly converted to(epsilon)(prime)-Fe(sub 2.2)C. Activation with carbon monoxide or syngas 2.2 with low hydrogen partial pressure reduces catalysts to(chi)-Fe(sub 5)C(sub 2) and a small amount of 5 2 superparamagnetic carbide. Exposure to FT conditions partially oxidizes iron carbide to Fe(sub 3)O(sub 4); however, catalysts promoted with potassium or potassium and copper maintain a constant carbide content and activity after the initial oxidation. An unpromoted iron catalyst which was activated with carbon monoxide to produce 94%(chi)-Fe(sub 5)C(sub 2), deactivated rapidly as the carbide was oxidized to Fe(sub 3)O(sub 4). No difference in activity, stability or deactivation rate was found for(chi)-Fe(sub 5)C(sub 2) and(epsilon)(prime)-Fe(sub 2.2)C

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR IRON AND COBALT FISCHER-TROPSCH CATALYSTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burtron H. Davis

1999-04-30

The impact of activation procedure on the phase composition of precipitated iron Fischer-Tropsch (FT) catalysts has been studied. Catalyst samples taken during activation and FT synthesis have been characterized by Moessbauer spectroscopy. Formation of iron carbide is necessary for high FT activity. Hydrogen activation of precipitated iron catalysts results in reduction to predominantly metallic iron and Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. Metallic iron is not stable under FT 3 4 conditions and is rapidly converted to {epsilon}{prime}-Fe{sub 2.2}C. Activation with carbon monoxide or syngas 2.2 with low hydrogen partial pressure reduces catalysts to {chi}-Fe{sub 5}C{sub 2} and a small amount of 5 2 superparamagnetic carbide. Exposure to FT conditions partially oxidizes iron carbide to Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}; however, catalysts promoted with potassium or potassium and copper maintain a constant carbide content and activity after the initial oxidation. An unpromoted iron catalyst which was activated with carbon monoxide to produce 94% {chi}-Fe{sub 5}C{sub 2}, deactivated rapidly as the carbide was oxidized to Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}. No difference in activity, stability or deactivation rate was found for {chi}-Fe{sub 5}C{sub 2} and {epsilon}{prime}-Fe{sub 2.2}C.

Creative design inspired by biological knowledge: Technologies and methods

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Runhua; Liu, Wei; Cao, Guozhong; Shi, Yuan

2018-05-01

Biological knowledge is becoming an important source of inspiration for developing creative solutions to engineering design problems and even has a huge potential in formulating ideas that can help firms compete successfully in a dynamic market. To identify the technologies and methods that can facilitate the development of biologically inspired creative designs, this research briefly reviews the existing biological-knowledge-based theories and methods and examines the application of biological-knowledge-inspired designs in various fields. Afterward, this research thoroughly examines the four dimensions of key technologies that underlie the biologically inspired design (BID) process. This research then discusses the future development trends of the BID process before presenting the conclusions.

Data specifications for INSPIRE

Science.gov (United States)

Portele, Clemens; Woolf, Andrew; Cox, Simon

2010-05-01

In Europe a major recent development has been the entering in force of the INSPIRE Directive in May 2007, establishing an infrastructure for spatial information in Europe to support Community environmental policies, and policies or activities which may have an impact on the environment. INSPIRE is based on the infrastructures for spatial information established and operated by the 27 Member States of the European Union. The Directive addresses 34 spatial data themes needed for environmental applications, with key components specified through technical implementing rules. This makes INSPIRE a unique example of a legislative "regional" approach. One of the requirements of the INSPIRE Directive is to make existing spatial data sets with relevance for one of the spatial data themes available in an interoperable way, i.e. where the spatial data from different sources in Europe can be combined to a coherent result. Since INSPIRE covers a wide range of spatial data themes, the first step has been the development of a modelling framework that provides a common foundation for all themes. This framework is largely based on the ISO 19100 series of standards. The use of common generic spatial modelling concepts across all themes is an important enabler for interoperability. As a second step, data specifications for the first set of themes has been developed based on the modelling framework. The themes include addresses, transport networks, protected sites, hydrography, administrative areas and others. The data specifications were developed by selected experts nominated by stakeholders from all over Europe. For each theme a working group was established in early 2008 working on their specific theme and collaborating with the other working groups on cross-theme issues. After a public review of the draft specifications starting in December 2008, an open testing process and thorough comment resolution process, the draft technical implementing rules for these themes have been

Development of a wetproofed catalyst recombiner for removal of airborne tritium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuang, K.T.; Quaiattini, R.J.; Thatcher, D.R.P.; Puissant, L.J.

1985-01-01

For cleanup of airborne tritium at tritium handling facilities, it is generally agreed that the most reliable method is to convert the tritium in a recombiner into water vapor followed by adsorption of the vapor in a molecular sieve drier. Decontamination factors of 10 3 to 10 6 have been reported. Wetproofed catalysts developed at Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories have been shown to maintain their activities when exposed to liquid water or air at 100% relative humidity. When a wetproofed catalyst recombiner is used, operation can be carried out at room temperatures thus greatly simplifying the system. Two catalysts, Pt/carbon and Pt/silica, were prepared for this study. The activity of Pt/carbon was measured with hydrogen and found to be comparable to the published results for conventional Pt/alumina catalysts at similar conditions. Experiments were carried out for the following range of operating conditions: flows from 0.3 to 3.0 m/s, pressure from 100 to 500 kPa. Tritium was added to the air stream at 1-5 MBq.m -3 (30-140 μCi.m -3 ). No significant isotope and/or pressure effects were observed. To date lifetime data of greater than four months have been obtained

The development of isomerization catalysts for production of high-octane products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pedrosa, A.M. Garrido; Melo, D.M.A.; Araujo, A.S. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica; Souza, M.J.B.; Silva, A.O.S. [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN (Brazil). Dept. de Engenharia Quimica

2004-07-01

In current petroleum industry, paraffins larger than C5 are used for catalytic reform. The catalytic reform is one of the most important processes for petroleum refine in reason of all reactions they drive to production of high-octane products. Reformate has high-octane products, but they contain 60% aromatics. Isomerization of C5- C7 can improve the octane number. The octane number of n-heptane is zero and increases after isomerization. For tri branched C7, the octane number reaches 113, which is higher than that of benzene. So, isomerization of C5-C7 is suggested to be a reasonable way to replace or partly replace the catalytic reforming process. It can decrease aromatics content with enhancement of octane number. Liquid acid catalysts were widely used in chemical industry in past decades. However, they face strong environmental challenges. The heavy corrosion of the reactor system is one of the main problems. Thus, solid acid catalysts are investigated for the isomerization reactions. The aim of this work is to develop a catalysts for the production of reformate products. Isomerization is catalyzed by metal-acid bifunctional catalysts. The metal components aid in hydrogenation, while the support, such as, zirconium, clays or zeolites, is the acidic component. (author)

Development of Ultra-Low Platinum Alloy Cathode Catalysts for PEM Fuel Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popov, Branko N. [Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Weidner, John [Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia, SC (United States)

2016-01-07

The goal of this project is to synthesize a low cost PEM fuel cell cathode catalyst and support with optimized average mass activity, stability of mass activity, initial high current density performance under H₂/air (power density), and catalyst and support stability able to meet 2017 DOE targets for electrocatalysts for transportation applications. Pt*/ACCS-2 catalyst was synthesized according to a novel methodology developed at USC through: (i) surface modification, (ii) metal catalyzed pyrolysis and (iii) chemical leaching to remove excess meal used to dope the support. Pt* stands for suppressed platinum catalyst synthesized with Co doped platinum. The procedure results in increasing carbon graphitization, inclusion of cobalt in the bulk and formation of non-metallic active sites on the carbon surface. Catalytic activity of the support shows an onset potential of 0.86 V for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with well-defined kinetic and mass transfer regions and 2.5% H₂O₂ production. Pt*/ACCS-2 catalyst durability under 0.6-1.0 V potential cycling and support stability under 1.0-1.5 V potential cycling was evaluated. The results indicated excellent catalyst and support performance under simulated start-up/shut down operating conditions (1.0 – 1.5 V, 5000 cycles) which satisfy DOE 2017 catalyst and support durability and activity. The 30% Pt*/ACCS-2 catalyst showed high initial mass activity of 0.34 A/mg_PGM at 0.9 ViR-free and loss of mass activity of 45% after 30,000 cycles (0.6-1.0 V). The catalyst performance under H₂-air fuel cell operating conditions showed only 24 mV (iR-free) loss at 0.8 A/cm² with an ECSA loss of 42% after 30,000 cycles (0.6-1.0 V). The support stability under 1.0-1.5 V potential cycling showed mass activity loss of 50% and potential loss of 8 mV (iR-free) at 1.5 A/cm². The ECSA loss was 22% after 5,000 cycles. Furthermore, the Pt*/ACCS-2 catalyst showed an

Learning from nature: Nature-inspired algorithms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Albeanu, Grigore; Madsen, Henrik; Popentiu-Vladicescu, Florin

2016-01-01

.), genetic and evolutionary strategies, artificial immune systems etc. Well-known examples of applications include: aircraft wing design, wind turbine design, bionic car, bullet train, optimal decisions related to traffic, appropriate strategies to survive under a well-adapted immune system etc. Based......During last decade, the nature has inspired researchers to develop new algorithms. The largest collection of nature-inspired algorithms is biology-inspired: swarm intelligence (particle swarm optimization, ant colony optimization, cuckoo search, bees' algorithm, bat algorithm, firefly algorithm etc...... on collective social behaviour of organisms, researchers have developed optimization strategies taking into account not only the individuals, but also groups and environment. However, learning from nature, new classes of approaches can be identified, tested and compared against already available algorithms...

Paradigms for biologically inspired design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenau, T. A.; Metzea, A.-L.; Hesselberg, T.

2018-01-01

engineering, medical engineering, nanotechnology, photonics,environmental protection and agriculture. However, a major obstacle for the wider use of biologically inspired design isthe knowledge barrier that exist between the application engineers that have insight into how to design suitable productsand......Biologically inspired design is attracting increasing interest since it offers access to a huge biological repository of wellproven design principles that can be used for developing new and innovative products. Biological phenomena can inspireproduct innovation in as diverse areas as mechanical...... the biologists with detailed knowledge and experience in understanding how biological organisms function in theirenvironment. The biologically inspired design process can therefore be approached using different design paradigmsdepending on the dominant opportunities, challenges and knowledge characteristics...

Development of catalysts for chemical reactions driven by concentrated solar energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berman, A.; Levitan, R.; Levy, M.

1992-03-01

The aim of this phase of the work is to study commercially available low priced catalysts, for the methanation and reforming processes in the closed-loop solar chemical heat pipe. This report summarized some long term tests of commercially available methanation catalysts and the measurement of their active surface before and after reaction. It was found that the 1%Ru on alumina stars catalysts (prepared by Englehard Company according to our request) is very active and stable at 350-750 C. The catalyst 'A' produced in Russia, is less active, however, did not lose the mechanical strength. The 50% Ni/SiO 2 catalyst is active as the 'A' catalyst but loses its activity after treatment at temperature > 600 C, its geometrical size shrinked. (authors). 25 refs., 25 figs., 36 tabs

Retina-Inspired Filter.

Science.gov (United States)

Doutsi, Effrosyni; Fillatre, Lionel; Antonini, Marc; Gaulmin, Julien

2018-07-01

This paper introduces a novel filter, which is inspired by the human retina. The human retina consists of three different layers: the Outer Plexiform Layer (OPL), the inner plexiform layer, and the ganglionic layer. Our inspiration is the linear transform which takes place in the OPL and has been mathematically described by the neuroscientific model "virtual retina." This model is the cornerstone to derive the non-separable spatio-temporal OPL retina-inspired filter, briefly renamed retina-inspired filter, studied in this paper. This filter is connected to the dynamic behavior of the retina, which enables the retina to increase the sharpness of the visual stimulus during filtering before its transmission to the brain. We establish that this retina-inspired transform forms a group of spatio-temporal Weighted Difference of Gaussian (WDoG) filters when it is applied to a still image visible for a given time. We analyze the spatial frequency bandwidth of the retina-inspired filter with respect to time. It is shown that the WDoG spectrum varies from a lowpass filter to a bandpass filter. Therefore, while time increases, the retina-inspired filter enables to extract different kinds of information from the input image. Finally, we discuss the benefits of using the retina-inspired filter in image processing applications such as edge detection and compression.

Nature-inspired design strategies in sustainable product development : A case study of student projects

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Pauw, I.C.; Karana, E.; Kandachar, P.V.

2012-01-01

In design practice, Nature-Inspired Design Strategies (NIDS) can be applied when developing sustainable products. However, knowledge on how this actually helps designers is lacking. This study explores the effects of applying Cradle to Cradle and Biomimicry in student projects, as compared to using

Non-PGM cell catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Colon-Mercado, H. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Elvington, M. [Savannah River Consulting, Aiken, SC (United States); Ganesan, P. [Savannah River Consulting, Aiken, SC (United States)

2017-09-27

A unique approach has been developed to probe the non-PGM catalyst active site for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) for PEMFCs. Iron based functionalities have been engineered into a variety of catalysts to evaluate their impact on activity for the ORR. A series of high surface area catalysts were synthesized and the impact of the chemical structure on the electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties was investigated. Elemental and surface analyses of the prepared catalysts reveal the incorporation of iron in a targeted and controlled manner. A high surface area framework catalyst was prepared that shows exceptional activity, comparable to state-of-the-art materials. The results of this research project provided critical seed data for the newly awarded ElectroCat project, which focuses on rationally designed framework catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Development of radioactive platinum group metal catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, H.S.; Kim, Y.S.; Kim, Y.E.

1999-03-01

The fission product nuclides generated during the irradiation of reactor fuel include many useful elements, among them platinum group metals such as ruthenium, rhodium and palladium which are of great industrial importance, occur rarely in nature and are highly valuable. In this research, the authors reviewed various PGM recovery methods. Recovery of palladium from seven-component simulated waste solutions was conducted by selective precipitation method. The recovery yield was more than 99.5% and the purity of the product was more than 99%. Wet-proof catalyst was prepared with the recovered palladium. The specific surface area of the catalyst support was more than 400m 2 /g. The content of palladium impregnated on the support was 1 to 10 wt. %. Hydrogen isotope exchange efficiency of more than 93% to equilibrium with small amount of the catalyst was obtained. It was turned out possible to consider using such palladium or other very low active PGM materials in applications where its activity is unimportant as in nuclear industries. (author). 86 refs., 44 tabs., 88 figs

Development of radioactive platinum group metal catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, H.S.; Kim, Y.S.; Kim, Y.E. [and others

1999-03-01

The fission product nuclides generated during the irradiation of reactor fuel include many useful elements, among them platinum group metals such as ruthenium, rhodium and palladium which are of great industrial importance, occur rarely in nature and are highly valuable. In this research, the authors reviewed various PGM recovery methods. Recovery of palladium from seven-component simulated waste solutions was conducted by selective precipitation method. The recovery yield was more than 99.5% and the purity of the product was more than 99%. Wet-proof catalyst was prepared with the recovered palladium. The specific surface area of the catalyst support was more than 400m{sup 2}/g.The content of palladium impregnated on the support was 1 to 10 wt. %. Hydrogen isotope exchange efficiency of more than 93% to equilibrium with small amount of the catalyst was obtained. It was turned out possible to consider using such palladium or other very low active PGM materials in applications where its activity is unimportant as in nuclear industries. (author). 86 refs., 44 tabs., 88 figs.

Recent developments of nano-structured materials as the catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, SungYeon; Kim, HuiJung; Chung, Yong-Ho

2018-04-01

Developments of high efficient materials for electrocatalyst are significant topics of numerous researches since a few decades. Recent global interests related with energy conversion and storage lead to the expansion of efforts to find cost-effective catalysts that can substitute conventional catalytic materials. Especially, in the field of fuel cell, novel materials for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have been noticed to overcome disadvantages of conventional platinum-based catalysts. Various approaching methods have been attempted to achieve low cost and high electrochemical activity comparable with Pt-based catalysts, including reducing Pt consumption by the formation of hybrid materials, Pt-based alloys, and not-Pt metal or carbon based materials. To enhance catalytic performance and stability, numerous methods such as structural modifications and complex formations with other functional materials are proposed, and they are basically based on well-defined and well-ordered catalytic active sites by exquisite control at nanoscale. In this review, we highlight the development of nano-structured catalytic materials for ORR based on recent findings, and discuss about an outlook for the direction of future researches.

Mechanisms and modeling development of water transport/phase change in catalyst layers of portion exchange membrane fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xiao, Yexiang [Dept. of Thermal Engineering, Tsinghua University Beijing (China)], email: Yexiang.Xiao@energy.lth.se; Yuan, Jinliang; Sunden, Bengt [Dept. of Energy Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Lund University (Sweden)], email: Jinliang.yuan@energy.lth.se, email: bengt.sunden@energy.lth.se

2011-07-01

Research on proton exchange membrane fuel cells has shown that incorporation of nanosized catalysts can effectively increase active areas and catalyst activity and make a great contribution to development in performance and catalyst utilization. Multiphase transport processes are as significant and complicated as water generation/transfer processes which occur in nano-structured catalyst layers. A review project has been launched aimed at gaining a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of water generation or transport phenomena. It covers catalytic reactions and water-phase change within the catalyst layers. The review proceeds in three main stages: Firstly, it characterizes and reconstructs the nano/micro-structured pores and solid-phases; secondly, it emphasises the importance of sensitive and consistent analysis of various water-phase change and transport schemes; and thirdly, it recommends development of microscopic models for multi-phase transport processes in the pores and the solid phases.

Practices of Waldorf-Inspired Schools. Research Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Friedlaender, Diane; Beckham, Kyle; Zheng, Xinhua; Darling-Hammond, Linda

2015-01-01

"Growing a Waldorf-Inspired Approach in a Public School District" documents the practices and outcomes of Alice Birney, a Waldorf-Inspired School in Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). This study highlights how such a school addresses students' academic, social, emotional, physical, and creative development. The study also…

Enhancement of Treatment Efficiency of Recalcitrant Wastewater Containing Textile Dyes Using a Newly Developed Iron Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 Heterogeneous Catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Mushtaq; Asghar, Anam; Abdul Raman, Abdul Aziz; Wan Daud, Wan Mohd Ashri

2015-01-01

Fenton oxidation, an advanced oxidation process, is an efficient method for the treatment of recalcitrant wastewaters. Unfortunately, it utilizes H2O2 and iron-based homogeneous catalysts, which lead to the formation of high volumes of sludge and secondary pollutants. To overcome these problems, an alternate option is the usage of heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, a heterogeneous catalyst was developed to provide an alternative solution for homogeneous Fenton oxidation. Iron Zeolite Socony Mobile-5 (Fe-ZSM-5) was synthesized using a new two-step process. Next, the catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis and tested against a model wastewater containing the azo dye Acid Blue 113. Results showed that the loading of iron particles reduced the surface area of the catalyst from 293.59 to 243.93 m2/g; meanwhile, the average particle size of the loaded material was 12.29 nm. Furthermore, efficiency of the developed catalyst was evaluated by performing heterogeneous Fenton oxidation. Taguchi method was coupled with principal component analysis in order to assess and optimize mineralization efficiency. Experimental results showed that under optimized conditions, over 99.7% degradation and 77% mineralization was obtained, with a 90% reduction in the consumption of the developed catalyst. Furthermore, the developed catalyst was stable and reusable, with less than 2% leaching observed under optimized conditions. Thus, the present study proved that newly developed catalyst has enhanced the oxidation process and reduced the chemicals consumption. PMID:26517827

Enhancement of Treatment Efficiency of Recalcitrant Wastewater Containing Textile Dyes Using a Newly Developed Iron Zeolite Socony Mobil-5 Heterogeneous Catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad, Mushtaq; Asghar, Anam; Abdul Raman, Abdul Aziz; Wan Daud, Wan Mohd Ashri

2015-01-01

Fenton oxidation, an advanced oxidation process, is an efficient method for the treatment of recalcitrant wastewaters. Unfortunately, it utilizes H2O2 and iron-based homogeneous catalysts, which lead to the formation of high volumes of sludge and secondary pollutants. To overcome these problems, an alternate option is the usage of heterogeneous catalyst. In this study, a heterogeneous catalyst was developed to provide an alternative solution for homogeneous Fenton oxidation. Iron Zeolite Socony Mobile-5 (Fe-ZSM-5) was synthesized using a new two-step process. Next, the catalyst was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis and tested against a model wastewater containing the azo dye Acid Blue 113. Results showed that the loading of iron particles reduced the surface area of the catalyst from 293.59 to 243.93 m2/g; meanwhile, the average particle size of the loaded material was 12.29 nm. Furthermore, efficiency of the developed catalyst was evaluated by performing heterogeneous Fenton oxidation. Taguchi method was coupled with principal component analysis in order to assess and optimize mineralization efficiency. Experimental results showed that under optimized conditions, over 99.7% degradation and 77% mineralization was obtained, with a 90% reduction in the consumption of the developed catalyst. Furthermore, the developed catalyst was stable and reusable, with less than 2% leaching observed under optimized conditions. Thus, the present study proved that newly developed catalyst has enhanced the oxidation process and reduced the chemicals consumption.

Inspiring Climate Education Excellence(ICEE): Developing Elearning professional development modules - secondary science teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Kellagher, E.; Buhr, S. M.; Lynds, S. E.; McCaffrey, M. S.; Cires Education Outreach

2011-12-01

Inspiring Climate Education Excellence (ICEE) is a NASA-funded project to develop content knowledge and knowledge of effective teaching strategies in climate education among secondary science teachers. ICEE resources are aligned with the Essential Principles of Climate Science. Building upon a needs assessment and face to face workshop, ICEE resources include iTunesU videos, an ICEE 101 resource site with videos and peer-reviewed learning activities, and a moderated online forum. Self-directed modules and an online course are being developed around concepts and topics in which teachers express the most interest and need for instruction. ICEE resources include attention to effective teaching strategies, such as awareness of student misconceptions, strategies for forestalling controversy and advice from master teachers on implementation and curriculum development. The resources are being developed in partnership with GLOBE, and the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) and are informed by the work of the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) project. ICEE will help to meet the professional development needs of teachers, including those participating in the GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign.

Business Inspiration: Small Business Leadership in Recovery?

Science.gov (United States)

Rae, David; Price, Liz; Bosworth, Gary; Parkinson, Paul

2012-01-01

Business Inspiration was a short, action-centred leadership and innovation development programme designed for owners and managers of smaller firms to address business survival and repositioning needs arising from the UK's economic downturn. The article examines the design and delivery of Business Inspiration and the impact of the programme on…

Development and functionalization of magnetic nanoparticles as powerful and green catalysts for organic synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmed M. Abu-Dief

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Magnetic nanoparticles are a highly worthy reactant for the correlation of homogeneous inorganic and organic containing catalysts. This review deals with the very recent main advances in the development of various nano catalytic systems by the immobilization of homogeneous catalysts onto magnetic nanoparticles. Catalytic fields include the use of mainly cobalt, nickel, copper, and zinc ferrites, as well as their mixed-metal combinations with Cr, Cd, Mn and sometimes some lanthanides. The ferrite nanomaterials are obtained mainly by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods, sometimes by the sonochemical technique, micro emulsion and flame spray synthesis route. Catalytic processes with application of ferrite nanoparticles include degradation (in particular photocatalytic, reactions of dehydrogenation, oxidation, alkylation, C–C coupling, among other processes. Ferrite nano catalysts can be easily recovered from reaction systems and reused up to several runs almost without loss of catalytic activity. Finally, we draw conclusions and present a futurity outlook for the further development of new catalytic systems which are immobilized onto magnetic nanoparticles.

Nature-inspired computation in engineering

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

This timely review book summarizes the state-of-the-art developments in nature-inspired optimization algorithms and their applications in engineering. Algorithms and topics include the overview and history of nature-inspired algorithms, discrete firefly algorithm, discrete cuckoo search, plant propagation algorithm, parameter-free bat algorithm, gravitational search, biogeography-based algorithm, differential evolution, particle swarm optimization and others. Applications include vehicle routing, swarming robots, discrete and combinatorial optimization, clustering of wireless sensor networks, cell formation, economic load dispatch, metamodeling, surrogated-assisted cooperative co-evolution, data fitting and reverse engineering as well as other case studies in engineering. This book will be an ideal reference for researchers, lecturers, graduates and engineers who are interested in nature-inspired computation, artificial intelligence and computational intelligence. It can also serve as a reference for relevant...

Accelerating Inspire

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2266999

2017-01-01

CERN has been involved in the dissemination of scientific results since its early days and has continuously updated the distribution channels. Currently, Inspire hosts catalogues of articles, authors, institutions, conferences, jobs, experiments, journals and more. Successful orientation among this amount of data requires comprehensive linking between the content. Inspire has lacked a system for linking experiments and articles together based on which accelerator they were conducted at. The purpose of this project has been to create such a system. Records for 156 accelerators were created and all 2913 experiments on Inspire were given corresponding MARC tags. Records of 18404 accelerator physics related bibliographic entries were also tagged with corresponding accelerator tags. Finally, as a part of the endeavour to broaden CERN's presence on Wikipedia, existing Wikipedia articles of accelerators were updated with short descriptions and links to Inspire. In total, 86 Wikipedia articles were updated. This repo...

Development of Hydrotalcite Based Cobalt Catalyst by Hydrothermal and Co-precipitation Method for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Faizan Shareef

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the effect of a synthesis method for cobalt catalyst supported on hydrotalcite material for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The hydrotalcite supported cobalt (HT-Co catalysts were synthesized by co-precipitation and hydrothermal method. The prepared catalysts were characterized by using various techniques like BET (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy, TGA (Thermal Gravimetric Analysis, XRD (X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. Fixed bed micro reactor was used to test the catalytic activity of prepared catalysts. The catalytic testing results demonstrated the performance of hydrotalcite based cobalt catalyst in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis with high selectivity for liquid products. The effect of synthesis method on the activity and selectivity of catalyst was also discussed. Copyright © 2017 BCREC Group. All rights reserved Received: 3rd November 2016; Revised: 26th February 2017; Accepted: 9th March 2017; Available online: 27th October 2017; Published regularly: December 2017 How to Cite: Sharif, M.S., Arslan, M., Iqbal, N., Ahmad, N., Noor, T. (2017. Development of Hydrotalcite Based Cobalt Catalyst by Hydrothermal and Co-precipitation Method for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 12(3: 357-363 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.12.3.762.357-363

Strategies for catalyst development: possibilities of the ``rational approach`` illustrated with partial oxidation reactions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, W.; Schedel-Niedrig, T.; Schloegl, R. [Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin (Germany). Abt. Oberflaechenphysik

1998-12-31

The paper discusses two petrochemical selective oxidation reactions namely the practised formation of styrene (STY) and the desired oxidative functionalisation of propane. The present knowledge about the mode of operation of oxide catalysts is critically considered. The dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene (EB) should be described by an oxidehydration with water acting as oxidant. The potential role of the coke formed during catalytic reaction as co-catalyst will be discussed. Selective oxidation is connected with the participation of lattice oxygen mechanism which transforms unselective gas phase oxygen into selective oxygen. The atomistic description of this process is still quite unclear as well as the electron structural properties of the activated oxygen atom. The Role of solid state acidity as compared to the role of lattice oxygen is much less well investigated modern multiphase-multielement oxide (MMO) catalysts. The rationale is that the significant efforts made to improve current MMO systems by chemical modifications can be very much more fruitful when in a first step the mode of action of a catalyst is clarified on the basis of suitable experiments. Such time-consuming experiments at the beginning of a campaign for catalyst improvement pay back their investment in later stages of the project when strategies of chemical development can be derived on grounds of understanding. (orig.)

Carbon monoxide tolerant anodes for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. 1. Catalyst development approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holleck, G L; Pasquariello, D M; Clauson, S L

1998-07-01

PEM fuel cells are highly attractive for distributed power and cogeneration systems. They are efficient and function virtually without noise or pollution. To be competitive PEM fuel cells must operate on fuel mixtures obtained by reforming of widely available natural gas or liquid hydrocarbons. Reformed fuel gas mixtures invariably contain CO, a strong poison for Pt. Therefore CO tolerant anode catalysts are essential for wide spread PEMFC introduction. It is the objective to develop effective CO tolerant fuel cell catalysts based on multi-component platinum-transition metal alloys. Towards this goal the authors have developed a novel approach for the synthesis and performance evaluation of multifunctional ternary alloy fuel cell catalysts. The alloys are prepared as well-defined thin films on standard TFE-bonded carbon substrates via a dc magnetron sputtering technique. The anodes are laminated to Nafion membranes and the electrochemical performance is measured in a representative fuel cell configuration with H{sub 2} and H{sub 2}/CO gas mixtures. The multi-target sputtering technique permits one to reproducibly synthesize true alloy films of controlled composition. The deposit morphology and electrode structure are determined by the standardized TFE bonded carbon substrate. The thin catalyst layer is concentrated at the electrode ionomer interface where it can be fully utilized in a representative fuel cell configuration. Thus, a true comparative fuel cell catalyst evaluation is possible. The effectiveness of this approach will be demonstrated with Pt, Pt-Ru and Pt-Ru-X catalyzed anodes.

Magic of Play: How It Inspires & Aids Early Development

Science.gov (United States)

... creative writing, and help with critical thinking. The critical thinking that inspires kids to dig deeper for information and grasp more complex ideas is their next key skill. And it's the tool that will turn them into decision-makers and ...

Fuel cell development for transportation: Catalyst development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doddapaneni, N. [Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-04-01

Fuel cells are being considered as alternate power sources for transportation and stationary applications. With proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells the fuel crossover to cathodes causes severe thermal management and cell voltage drop due to oxidation of fuel at the platinized cathodes. The main goal of this project was to design, synthesize, and evaluate stable and inexpensive transition metal macrocyclic catalysts for the reduction of oxygen and be electrochemically inert towards anode fuels such as hydrogen and methanol.

Bifunctional cobalt F-T catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, J.G.; Coughlin, P.K.; Yang, C.L.; Rabo, J.A.

1986-03-01

Results on the catalytic screening of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts containing shape selective components are reported. Catalysts consist of promoted cobalt intimately contacted with Union Carbide molecular sieves and were tested using a Berty type internally recycled reactor. Methods of preparation, promoters and shape selective components were varied and aimed at improving catalyst performance. Catalysts were developed demonstrating high C/sub 5/ + yields with high olefin content and low methane production while maintaining stability under both low and high H/sub 2/:CO ratio conditions.

Development of nuclear methods for determining fluid-dynamic parameters in fluid catalyst cracking reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, V.A. dos; Dantas, C.C.

1986-01-01

Flow parameters of circulating fluidized bed in a simulated Fluid Catalyst Cracking reactor were determined by means of nuclear methods. The parameters were: residence time, density, inventory, circulation rate and radial distribution, for the catalyst; residence time for the gaseous phase. The nuclear methods where the gamma attenuation and the radiotracer. Two tracer techniques were developed, one for tagging of the catalyst by the 59 Fe as intrinsic tracer and another for tagging of the gaseous phase by the CH 3 82 Br as tracer. A detailed description of each measuring technique for all the investigated parameters is included. To carry out the determination for some of parameters a combination of the two methods was also applied. The results and the nuclear data are given in a table. (Author) [pt

Oxidation catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Ceyer, Sylvia T.; Lahr, David L.

2010-11-09

The present invention generally relates to catalyst systems and methods for oxidation of carbon monoxide. The invention involves catalyst compositions which may be advantageously altered by, for example, modification of the catalyst surface to enhance catalyst performance. Catalyst systems of the present invention may be capable of performing the oxidation of carbon monoxide at relatively lower temperatures (e.g., 200 K and below) and at relatively higher reaction rates than known catalysts. Additionally, catalyst systems disclosed herein may be substantially lower in cost than current commercial catalysts. Such catalyst systems may be useful in, for example, catalytic converters, fuel cells, sensors, and the like.

New development thoughts on the bio-inspired intelligence based control for unmanned combat aerial vehicle

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2010-01-01

Bio-inspired intelligence is in the spotlight in the field of international artificial intelligence,and unmanned combat aerial vehicle(UCAV),owing to its potential to perform dangerous,repetitive tasks in remote and hazardous,is very promising for the technological leadership of the nation and essential for improving the security of society.On the basis of introduction of bioinspired intelligence and UCAV,a series of new development thoughts on UCAV control are proposed,including artificial brain based high-level autonomous control for UCAV,swarm intelligence based cooperative control for multiple UCAVs,hy-brid swarm intelligence and Bayesian network based situation assessment under complicated combating environments, bio-inspired hardware based high-level autonomous control for UCAV,and meta-heuristic intelligence based heterogeneous cooperative control for multiple UCAVs and unmanned combat ground vehicles(UCGVs).The exact realization of the proposed new development thoughts can enhance the effectiveness of combat,while provide a series of novel breakthroughs for the intelligence,integration and advancement of future UCAV systems.

Bio-inspired routes for synthesizing efficient nanoscale platinum electrocatalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cha, Jennifer N. [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States); Wang, Joseph [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (United States)

2014-08-31

The overall objective of the proposed research is to use fundamental advances in bionanotechnology to design powerful platinum nanocrystal electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications. The new economically-viable, environmentally-friendly, bottom-up biochemical synthetic strategy will produce platinum nanocrystals with tailored size, shape and crystal orientation, hence leading to a maximum electrochemical reactivity. There are five specific aims to the proposed bio-inspired strategy for synthesizing efficient electrocatalytic platinum nanocrystals: (1) isolate peptides that both selectively bind particular crystal faces of platinum and promote the nucleation and growth of particular nanocrystal morphologies, (2) pattern nanoscale 2-dimensional arrays of platinum nucleating peptides from DNA scaffolds, (3) investigate the combined use of substrate patterned peptides and soluble peptides on nanocrystal morphology and growth (4) synthesize platinum crystals on planar and large-area carbon electrode supports, and (5) perform detailed characterization of the electrocatalytic behavior as a function of catalyst size, shape and morphology. Project Description and Impact: This bio-inspired collaborative research effort will address key challenges in designing powerful electrocatalysts for fuel cell applications by employing nucleic acid scaffolds in combination with peptides to perform specific, environmentally-friendly, simultaneous bottom-up biochemical synthesis and patterned assembly of highly uniform and efficient platinum nanocrystal catalysts. Bulk synthesis of nanoparticles usually produces a range of sizes, accessible catalytic sites, crystal morphologies, and orientations, all of which lead to inconsistent catalytic activities. In contrast, biological systems routinely demonstrate exquisite control over inorganic syntheses at neutral pH and ambient temperature and pressures. Because the orientation and arrangement of the templating biomolecules can be precisely

Oxidative coupling of methane. Still a challenge for catalyst development and reaction engineering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schomaecker, R.; Arnd, S.; Beck, B. [Technical Univ. of Berlin (Germany). Dept. of Chemistry] [and others

2013-11-01

The oxidative coupling of methane to ethylene offers great industrial potential, because it would broaden the feedstock basis for chemical industry. Because methane is the most stable hydrocarbon, its activation requires high temperatures and it is a great scientific challenge to overcome the apparent yield limit of about 25%. This barrier has never been exceeded since the beginning of OCM research more than 20 years ago. Results and Discussion: This challenge is one of the key projects of the Cluster of Excellence UNICAT and requires joined efforts and contributions from many disciplines, because this reaction shows a combined surface/gas phase reaction mechanism which results in very unusual and complex dependencies on the reaction conditions. Although dozens of materials are known to catalyze the reaction, the selection of a catalyst suitable for an industrial process is difficult, due to severe stability problems of many materials. Li/MgO was chosen by the UNICAT-team as model catalyst, because of the extended literature about it. But it shows uncontrollable deactivation, no matter what precursor and method were used for its preparation. Nevertheless, it is a suitable catalyst for fundamental studies, due to its formal chemical simplicity. A key result of the joined research activities was the disproval of the Lunsford mechanism and the elucidation of the real function of lithium as a surface modifier creating a rough and defect-rich surface. For the development of an OCM process another catalyst, Na{sub 2}WO{sub 4}/Mn/SiO{sub 2}, was chosen from the rich literature on OCM. Although less is known about its structure and the reaction mechanism at this catalyst, its stability was the most important reason to select it for further engineering studies. Kinetic isotope measurements and studies in a TAP reactor demonstrate the similarity of the reaction mechanisms at both catalysts, despite the completely different materials. The selectivity is largely controlled by

Biologically Inspired Technology Using Electroactive Polymers (EAP)

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Yoseph

2006-01-01

Evolution allowed nature to introduce highly effective biological mechanisms that are incredible inspiration for innovation. Humans have always made efforts to imitate nature's inventions and we are increasingly making advances that it becomes significantly easier to imitate, copy, and adapt biological methods, processes and systems. This brought us to the ability to create technology that is far beyond the simple mimicking of nature. Having better tools to understand and to implement nature's principles we are now equipped like never before to be inspired by nature and to employ our tools in far superior ways. Effectively, by bio-inspiration we can have a better view and value of nature capability while studying its models to learn what can be extracted, copied or adapted. Using electroactive polymers (EAP) as artificial muscles is adding an important element to the development of biologically inspired technologies.

Development of Vanadium Phosphaate Catalysts for Methanol Production by Selective Oxidation of Methane.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCormick, R.L.

1997-10-01

This DOE sponsored study of methane partial oxidation was initiated at Amax Research and Development in Golden, CO in October of 1993. Shortly thereafter the management of Amax closed this R&D facility and the PI moved to the Colorado School of Mines. The project was begun again after contract transfer via a novation agreement. Experimental work began with testing of vandyl pyrophosphate (VPO), a well known alkane selective oxidation catalyst. It was found that VPO was not a selective catalyst for methane conversion yielding primarily CO. However, promotion of VPO with Fe, Cr, and other first row transition metals led to measurable yields for formaldehyde, as noted in the summary table. Catalyst characterization studies indicated that the role of promoters was to stabilize some of the vanadium in the V{sup 5+} oxidation state rather than the V{sup 4+} state formally expected for (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7}.

Development of Hydrogen Separation Module with Structured Catalyst for Use in Membrane Reformer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isamu Yasuda; Tatsuya Tsuneki; Yoshinori Shirasaki; Toru Shimamori; Hidekazu Shigaki; Hiroyuki Tanaka

2006-01-01

A new type of hydrogen separation module for use in a membrane reformer was proposed and developed. The new module, what we call MOC (Membrane On Catalyst), was designed to have a membrane of palladium-based alloy prepared on the surface of the tubular structured catalyst that has catalytic activity for steam reforming reaction, thermal expansion matching with the membrane material, proper porosity, mechanical strength and thermal conductivity. The best composition of the structured catalyst was identified in the composites of metallic Ni and YSZ (Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia). A hydrogen separation module was manufactured by electroless plating of Pd with thickness of 7 to 15 microns on the surface of porous sintered tube of Ni-YSZ with an approximate size of 9 mm in diameter and 100 mm in length. The hydrogen permeability measurements have shown hydrogen flux of 25 to 35 cc/min at 550 to 600 C, which is higher than the permeability of the conventional modules using rolled Pd film. (authors)

Exceptionally High Efficient Co-Co2P@N, P-Codoped Carbon Hybrid Catalyst for Visible Light-Driven CO2-to-CO Conversion.

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Wen Gan

2018-05-02

Artificial photosynthesis has attracted wide attention, particularly the development of efficient solar light-driven methods to reduce CO2 to form energy-rich carbon-based products. Because CO2 reduction is an uphill process with a large energy barrier, suitable catalysts are necessary to achieve this transformation. In addition, CO2 adsorption on a catalyst and proton transfer to CO2 are two important factors for the conversion reaction，and catalysts with high surface area and more active sites are required to improve the efficiency of CO2 reduction. Here, we report a visible light-driven system for CO2-to-CO conversion that consists of a heterogeneous hybrid catalyst of Co and Co2P nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanolayers codoped with N and P (Co-Co2P@NPC) and a homogeneous Ru(II)-based complex photosensitizer. The average generation rate of CO of the system was up to 35,000 μmol h-1 g-1 with selectivity of 79.1% in 3 h. Linear CO production at an exceptionally high rate of 63,000 μmol h-1 g-1 was observed in the first hour of reaction. Inspired by this highly active catalyst, we also synthesized Co@NC and Co2P@NPC materials and explored their structure, morphology, and catalytic properties for CO2 photoreduction. The results showed that the nanoparticle size, partially adsorbed H2O molecules on the catalyst surface, and the hybrid nature of the systems influenced their photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Novel metalloporphyrin catalysts for the oxidation of hydrocarbons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Showalter, M.C.; Nenoff, T.M.; Shelnutt, J.A.

1996-11-01

Work was done for developing biomimetic oxidation catalysts. Two classes of metalloporphyrin catalysts were studied. The first class of catalysts studied were a novel series of highly substituted metalloporphyrins, the fluorinated iron dodecaphenylporphyrins. These homogeneous metalloporphyrin catalysts were screened for activity as catalysts in the oxidation of hydrocarbons by dioxygen. Results are discussed with respect to catalyst structural features. The second type of catalysts studied were heterogeneous catalysts consisting of metalloporphyrins applied to inorganic supports. Preliminary catalytic testing results with these materials are presented.

Exquisite Enzyme-Fenton Biomimetic Catalysts for Hydroxyl Radical Production by Mimicking an Enzyme Cascade.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qi; Chen, Shuo; Wang, Hua; Yu, Hongtao

2018-03-14

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) is a key reactant in the Fenton process. As a byproduct of enzymatic reaction, H 2 O 2 can be obtained via catalytical oxidation of glucose using glucose oxidase in the presence of O 2 . Another oxidation product (gluconic acid) can suitably adjust the microenvironmental pH contributing to the Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ cycle in the Fenton reaction. Enzymes are extremely efficient at catalyzing a variety of reactions with high catalytic activity, substrate specificity, and yields in living organisms. Inspired by the multiple functions of natural multienzyme systems, an exquisite nanozyme-modified α-FeOOH/porous carbon (PC) biomimetic catalyst constructed by in situ growth of glucose oxidase-mimicking Au nanoparticles and crystallization of adsorbed ferric ions within carboxyl into hierarchically PC is developed as an efficient enzyme-Fenton catalyst. The products (H 2 O 2 , ∼4.07 mmol·L -1 ) of the first enzymatic reaction are immediately used as substrates for the second Fenton-like reaction to generate the valuable • OH (∼96.84 μmol·L -1 ), thus mimicking an enzyme cascade pathway. α-FeOOH nanocrystals, attached by C-O-Fe bondings, are encapsulated into the mesoporous PC frameworks, facilitating the electron transfer between α-FeOOH and the PC support and greatly suppressing iron leaching. This study paves a new avenue for designing biomimetic enzyme-based Fenton catalysts mimicking a natural system for • OH production.

Study and development of membrane electrode assemblies for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) with palladium based catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonifacio, Rafael Nogueira

2013-01-01

PEMFC systems are capable of generating electricity with high efficiency and low or no emissions, but durability and cost issues prevent its large commercialization. In this work MEA with palladium based catalysts were developed, Pd/C, Pt/C and alloys PdPt/C catalysts with different ratios between metals and carbon were synthesized and characterized. A study of the ratio between catalyst and Nafion Ionomer for formation of high performance triple-phase reaction was carried out, a mathematical model to implement this adjustment to catalysts with different relations between metal and support taking into account the volumetric aspects of the catalyst layer was developed and then a study of the catalyst layer thickness was performed. X-ray diffraction, Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray Energy Dispersive, Gas Pycnometry, Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry, Gas adsorption according to the BET and BJH equations, and Thermo Gravimetric Analysis techniques were used for characterization and particle size, specific surface areas and lattice parameters determinations were also carried out. All catalysts were used on MEAs preparation and evaluated in 5 cm 2 single cell from 25 to 100 °C at 1 atm and the best composition was also evaluated at 3 atm. In the study of metals for reactions, to reduce the platinum applied to the electrodes without performance losses, Pd/C and PdPt/C 1:1 were selected for anodes and cathodes, respectively. The developed MEA structure used 0,25 mgPt.cm -2 , showing power densities up to 550 mW.cm -2 and power of 2.2 kW net per gram of platinum. The estimated costs showed that there was a reduction of up to 64.5 %, compared to the MEA structures previously known. Depending on the temperature and operating pressure, values from US$ 1,475.30 to prepare MEAs for each installed kilowatt were obtained. Taking into account recent studies, it was concluded that the cost of the developed MEA is compatible with PEMFC stationary application

Request for Information from entities interested in commercializing Laboratory-developed homogeneous catalyst technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Intrator, Miranda Huang [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2016-02-25

Many industrial catalysts used for homogeneous hydrogenation and dehydrogenation of unsaturated substrates are derived from metal complexes that include (air-sensitive) ligands that are often expensive and difficult to synthesize. In particular, catalysts used for many hydrogenations are based on phosphorus containing ligands (in particular PNP pincer systems). These ligands are often difficult to make, are costly, are constrained to having two carbon atoms in the ligand backbone and are susceptible to oxidation at phosphorus, making their use somewhat complicated. Los Alamos researchers have recently developed a new and novel set of ligands that are based on a NNS (ENENES) skeleton (i.e. no phosphorus donors, just nitrogen and sulfur).

Highly efficient bioinspired molecular Ru water oxidation catalysts with negatively charged backbone ligands.

Science.gov (United States)

Duan, Lele; Wang, Lei; Li, Fusheng; Li, Fei; Sun, Licheng

2015-07-21

The oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of the natural photosynthesis system II (PSII) oxidizes water to produce oxygen and reducing equivalents (protons and electrons). The oxygen released from PSII provides the oxygen source of our atmosphere; the reducing equivalents are used to reduce carbon dioxide to organic products, which support almost all organisms on the Earth planet. The first photosynthetic organisms able to split water were proposed to be cyanobacteria-like ones appearing ca. 2.5 billion years ago. Since then, nature has chosen a sustainable way by using solar energy to develop itself. Inspired by nature, human beings started to mimic the functions of the natural photosynthesis system and proposed the concept of artificial photosynthesis (AP) with the view to creating energy-sustainable societies and reducing the impact on the Earth environments. Water oxidation is a highly energy demanding reaction and essential to produce reducing equivalents for fuel production, and thereby effective water oxidation catalysts (WOCs) are required to catalyze water oxidation and reduce the energy loss. X-ray crystallographic studies on PSII have revealed that the OEC consists of a Mn4CaO5 cluster surrounded by oxygen rich ligands, such as oxyl, oxo, and carboxylate ligands. These negatively charged, oxygen rich ligands strongly stabilize the high valent states of the Mn cluster and play vital roles in effective water oxidation catalysis with low overpotential. This Account describes our endeavors to design effective Ru WOCs with low overpotential, large turnover number, and high turnover frequency by introducing negatively charged ligands, such as carboxylate. Negatively charged ligands stabilized the high valent states of Ru catalysts, as evidenced by the low oxidation potentials. Meanwhile, the oxygen production rates of our Ru catalysts were improved dramatically as well. Thanks to the strong electron donation ability of carboxylate containing ligands, a seven

Highly Stable and Active Catalyst for Sabatier Reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jianli; Brooks, Kriston P.

2012-01-01

Highly active Ru/TiO2 catalysts for Sabatier reaction have been developed. The catalysts have shown to be stable under repeated shutting down/startup conditions. When the Ru/TiO2 catalyst is coated on the engineered substrate Fe-CrAlY felt, activity enhancement is more than doubled when compared with an identically prepared engineered catalyst made from commercial Degussa catalyst. Also, bimetallic Ru-Rh/TiO2 catalysts show high activity at high throughput.

INSPIRE: A new scientific information system for HEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanov, R; Raae, L

2010-01-01

The status of high-energy physics (HEP) information systems has been jointly analyzed by the libraries of CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC. As a result, the four laboratories have started the INSPIRE project - a new platform built by moving the successful SPIRES features and content, curated at DESY, Fermilab and SLAC, into the open-source CDS Invenio digital library software that was developed at CERN. INSPIRE will integrate current acquisition workflows and databases to host the entire body of the HEP literature (about one million records), aiming to become the reference HEP scientific information platform worldwide. It will provide users with fast access to full text journal articles and preprints, but also material such as conference slides and multimedia. INSPIRE will empower scientists with new tools to discover and access the results most relevant to their research, enable novel text- and data-mining applications, and deploy new metrics to assess the impact of articles and authors. In addition, it will introduce the 'Web 2.0' paradigm of user-enriched content in the domain of sciences, with community-based approaches to scientific publishing. INSPIRE represents a natural evolution of scholarly communication built on successful community-based information systems, and it provides a vision for information management in other fields of science. Inspired by the needs of HEP, we hope that the INSPIRE project will be inspiring for other communities.

Ant- and Ant-Colony-Inspired ALife Visual Art.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenfield, Gary; Machado, Penousal

2015-01-01

Ant- and ant-colony-inspired ALife art is characterized by the artistic exploration of the emerging collective behavior of computational agents, developed using ants as a metaphor. We present a chronology that documents the emergence and history of such visual art, contextualize ant- and ant-colony-inspired art within generative art practices, and consider how it relates to other ALife art. We survey many of the algorithms that artists have used in this genre, address some of their aims, and explore the relationships between ant- and ant-colony-inspired art and research on ant and ant colony behavior.

Lunar CATALYST

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) is a NASA initiative to encourage the development of U.S. private-sector robotic lunar...

Development of Highly Nano-Dispersed NiO/GDC Catalysts from Ion Exchange Resin Templates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angel Caravaca

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Novel NiO/GDC (Gadolinium-doped Ceria cermet catalysts were developed by the Weak Acid Resin (WAR method using an ion exchange resin template. In addition, the specific surface area of these tunable materials was enhanced by NiO partial dissolution in aqueous acid solution. The whole procedure highly improved the micro-structural properties of these materials compared to previous studies. Catalysts with high metal loadings (≥10%, small Ni nanoparticles (<10 nm, and high specific surface areas (>70 m2/g were achieved. These properties are promising for catalytic applications such as methane steam reforming for H2 production.

Development of super thin foil metal supported catalyst; Chousuhaku metal tantai shokubai no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanji, F; Takada, T [Toyota Motor Corp., Aichi (Japan)

1997-10-01

In order to improve warm-up performance, high heat resistance and long life durability of catalysts, the reduction of the metal support heat capacity has been focused. The effects of both reducing foil thickness and lowering cell density on low heat capacity have been investigated. As a result of engine bench and vehicle test, it was apparent that the reduction of foil thickness has greater effects. Newly developed 30 {mu} m foil thickness metal supported catalyst has quicker warm-up performance, and its structural durability up to 950degC is confirmed. 3 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

Physicists get INSPIREd

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2010-01-01

Particle physicists thrive on information. They first create information by performing experiments or elaborating theoretical conjectures and then they share it through publications and various web tools. The INSPIRE service, just released, will bring state of the art information retrieval to the fingertips of researchers.   Keeping track of the information shared within the particle physics community has long been the task of libraries at the larger labs, such as CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC, as well as the focus of indispensible services like arXiv and those of the Particle Data Group. In 2007, many providers of information in the field came together for a summit at SLAC to see how physics information resources could be enhanced, and the INSPIRE project emerged from that meeting. The vision behind INSPIRE was built by a survey launched by the four labs to evaluate the real needs of the community. INSPIRE responds to these directives from the community by combining the most successful aspe...

New catalysts for exhaust gas cleaning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haerkoenen, M [Kemira Metalkat Oy, Oulu (Finland)

1997-12-31

Major challenge for future catalyst systems was to develop thermally more stable washcoats for close coupled operating conditions and for engines operating under high speed and load conditions. To design these future emission systems extensive research and development was undertaken to develop methods to disperse and stabilize the key catalytic materials for operation at much higher temperatures. Second priority was to design catalysts that are more effective under low temperature exhaust conditions and have improved oxygen storage properties in the washcoats. Incorporating new materials and modified preparation technology a new generation of metallic catalyst formulations emerged, those being trimetallic K6 (Pt:Pd:Rh and bimetallic K7) (Pd+Pd:Rh). The target was to combine the best property of Pt:Rh (good NO{sub x} reduction) with that of the good HC oxidation activity of Pd and to ensure that precious metal/support interactions were positively maintained. Both K6 and K7 concepts contain special catalyst structures with optimized washcoat performance which can be brick converter configuration. Improvement in light-off, thermal stability and transient performance with these new catalyst formulations have clearly been shown in both laboratory and vehicle testing. (author) (20 refs.)

New catalysts for exhaust gas cleaning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haerkoenen, M. [Kemira Metalkat Oy, Oulu (Finland)

1996-12-31

Major challenge for future catalyst systems was to develop thermally more stable washcoats for close coupled operating conditions and for engines operating under high speed and load conditions. To design these future emission systems extensive research and development was undertaken to develop methods to disperse and stabilize the key catalytic materials for operation at much higher temperatures. Second priority was to design catalysts that are more effective under low temperature exhaust conditions and have improved oxygen storage properties in the washcoats. Incorporating new materials and modified preparation technology a new generation of metallic catalyst formulations emerged, those being trimetallic K6 (Pt:Pd:Rh and bimetallic K7) (Pd+Pd:Rh). The target was to combine the best property of Pt:Rh (good NO{sub x} reduction) with that of the good HC oxidation activity of Pd and to ensure that precious metal/support interactions were positively maintained. Both K6 and K7 concepts contain special catalyst structures with optimized washcoat performance which can be brick converter configuration. Improvement in light-off, thermal stability and transient performance with these new catalyst formulations have clearly been shown in both laboratory and vehicle testing. (author) (20 refs.)

The combination of ascorbic acid 6-palmitate and [Fe III 3(µ3-O)]7+ as a catalyst for the oxidation of unsaturated lipids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Micciche, F.; Long, G.J.; Shahin, A.M.; Grandjean, F.; Ming, W.; Haveren, van J.; Linde, van der R.

2007-01-01

Recently, iron 2-ethylhexanoate (Fe-eh, 1) in combination with ascorbic acid 6-palmitate (AsA6p) has been reported as a good catalytic system for the oxidation of ethyl linoleate (EL), an unsaturated lipid. In response to the fascinating chemistry of this bio-inspired iron-based catalyst the

Development of sustainable Palladium-based catalysts for removal of persistent contaminants from drinking water

Science.gov (United States)

Shuai, Danmeng

Pd-based catalytic reduction has emerged as an advanced treatment technology for drinking water decontamination, and a suite of persistent contaminants including oxyanions, N-nitrosoamines, and halogenated compounds are amenable to catalytic reduction. The primary goal of this study is to develop novel Pd-based catalysts with enhanced performance (i.e., activity, selectivity, and sustainability) to remove contaminants from drinking water. The effects of water quality (i.e., co-contaminants in water matrix), catalyst support, and catalyst metal were explored, and they provide insights for preparing catalysts with faster kinetics, higher selectivity, and extended lifetime. Azo dyes are wide-spread contaminants, and they are potentially co-exisiting with target contaminants amenable for catalytic removal. The probe azo dye methyl orange (MO) enhanced catalytic reduction kinetics of a suite of oxyanions (i.e., nitrate, nitrite, bromate, chlorate, and perchlorate) and diatrizoate significantly but not N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) with a variety of Pd-based catalysts. Nitrate was selected as a probe contaminant, and several different azo dyes (i.e., (methyl orange, methyl red, fast yellow AB, metanil yellow, acid orange 7, congo red, eriochrome black T, acid red 27, acid yellow 11, and acid yellow 17) were evaluated for their ability to enhance reduction. A hydrogen atom shuttling mechanism was proposed and a kinetic model was proposed based on Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) theory, and they suggest sorbed azo dyes and reduced hydrazo dyes shuttle hydrogen atoms to oxyanions or diatrizoate to enhance their reduction kinetics. Next, vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (CNF) supports were used to explore the effects of Pd nanoparticle size and interior versus exterior loading on nitrite reduction activity and selectivity (i.e., dinitrogen over ammonia production). In order to evaluate the amount of interior versus exterior loading of Pd nanoparticles, a fast and accurate geometric

Cross-departmental collaboration in strategic sourcing as a catalyst for supplier development: The case of Eskom

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mzoxolo E. Mbiko

2017-11-01

Conclusion: For strategic sourcing to be a catalyst of supplier development, it is essential that an integrated strategic sourcing operating model incorporating the objectives of both CS and SD&L be developed.

Carbonaceous deposits on naptha reforming catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Redwan, D.S.

1999-01-01

Carbonaceous deposits on naphtha reforming catalysts play a decisive role in limiting process performance. The deposits negatively after catalyst activity, selectivity and the production cycle of a semi regenerative reformer. The magnitude of negative effect of those deposits is directly proportional to their amounts and complexity. Investigations on used reforming catalysts samples reveal that the amount and type (complexity of the chemical nature) of carbonaceous deposits are directly proportional to the catalysts life on stream and the severity of operating conditions. In addition, the combustibility behavior of carbonaceous deposits on the catalyst samples taken from different reformers are found to be different. Optimal carbon removal, for in situ catalyst regeneration, requires the specific conditions be developed, based on the results of well designed and properly performed investigations of the amount and type of carbonaceous deposits. (author)

A general strategy for the in situ decoration of porous Mn-Co bi-metal oxides on metal mesh/foam for high performance de-NOx monolith catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Sixiang; Liu, Jie; Zha, Kaiwen; Li, Hongrui; Shi, Liyi; Zhang, Dengsong

2017-05-04

Owing to their advantages of strong mechanical stability, plasticity, thermal conductivity and mass transfer ability, metal foam or meshes are considered promising monolith supports for de-NO x application. In this work, we developed a facile method for the decoration of porous Mn-Co bi-metal oxides on Fe meshes. The block-like structure was derived from in situ coating, and simultaneous nucleation and growth of the Mn-Co hydroxide precursor, while the porous Mn-Co oxides were formed via the calcination process. Moreover, the decoration of the high-purity Co 2 MnO 4 spinel could lead to enhanced reducibility and adsorption behaviors, which are crucial to the catalytic process. Of note is the fact that the Fe mesh used in the synthesis procedure could be substituted by various metal supports including Ti mesh, Cu foam and Ni foam. Driven by the above motivations, metal supports decorated with Mn-Co oxides were evaluated as monolith de-NO x catalysts for the first time. Inspiringly, these catalysts demonstrate outstanding low-temperature catalytic activity, desirable stability and excellent H 2 O resistance. This work might open up a new path for the design and development of high performance de-NO x monolith catalysts.

Inspiration and the Texts of the Bible

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dirk Buchner

1997-12-01

Full Text Available This article seeks to explore what the inspired text of the Old Testament was as it existed for the New Testament authors, particularly for the author of the book of Hebrews. A quick look at the facts makes. it clear that there was, at the time, more than one 'inspired' text, among these were the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text 'to name but two'. The latter eventually gained ascendancy which is why it forms the basis of our translated Old Testament today. Yet we have to ask: what do we make of that other text that was the inspired Bible to the early Church, especially to the writer of the book of Hebrews, who ignored the Masoretic text? This article will take a brief look at some suggestions for a doctrine of inspiration that keeps up with the facts of Scripture. Allied to this, the article is something of a bibliographical study of recent developments in textual research following the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls.

Effect of cation nature on development of Zn-, Cd- and Ca-zeolite catalysts during ethylbenzene transformations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuan, K.Kh.; Berentsvejg, V.V.; Rudenko, A.P.; Tkhuan, N.T.; Topchieva, K.V.

1984-01-01

It is shown that in the course of ethylbenzene transformations at 650 deg, 0.25 7nY, 0.25CdY, 0.82CdY catalysts on the basis of Y-type zeolite are developed for the process of styrene formation accompanied by the accumulation of packing products (PP) and increase in styrene selectivity from 0 to 100%. It is shown that the nature of Me 2+ ion in zeolite is of great importance in the manifestation of the effect of catalyst development in the course of ethylbenzene transformations. Ions capable of PP formation and accumulation composing polymercatalyst complexes [PPxMe 2+ ] are active in this process

Development of a polymer catalyst for HANARO detritiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, H.; Kang, H.S.; Paek, S.W.; Yoo, J.H.; Shon, S.H.; Kim, K.R.; Lee, S.H.; Ahn, D.H.; Lee, H.S.

1998-01-01

The use of heavy water as a reflector in HANARO results in the continuous exposure of deuterium oxide to neutron flux. Substantial quantities of tritium are generated by neutron activation of deuterium in the reflector. Airborne emissions and staff internal radiation doses could be caused by tritiated heavy water escaping from the system. A detritiation facility is thought to be effective in reducing the overall radiological impact. The detritiation process may consist of a catalytic exchange in the front-end and a cryogenic deuterium distillation section. In this paper, the catalyst manufacturing and its performance evaluation technology was presented. The waterproof polymer catalyst has a specific surface area larger than 400m 2 /g. It showed a high reaction rate in the hydrogen isotope exchange reaction. (author)

Inspiration from britain?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vagnby, Bo

2008-01-01

Danish housing policy needs a dose of renewed social concern - and could find new inspiration in Britain's housing and urban planning policies, says Bo Vagnby. Udgivelsesdato: November......Danish housing policy needs a dose of renewed social concern - and could find new inspiration in Britain's housing and urban planning policies, says Bo Vagnby. Udgivelsesdato: November...

Biologically inspired technologies in NASA's morphing project

Science.gov (United States)

McGowan, Anna-Maria R.; Cox, David E.; Lazos, Barry S.; Waszak, Martin R.; Raney, David L.; Siochi, Emilie J.; Pao, S. Paul

2003-07-01

For centuries, biology has provided fertile ground for hypothesis, discovery, and inspiration. Time-tested methods used in nature are being used as a basis for several research studies conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center as a part of Morphing Project, which develops and assesses breakthrough vehicle technologies. These studies range from low drag airfoil design guided by marine and avian morphologies to soaring techniques inspired by birds and the study of small flexible wing vehicles. Biology often suggests unconventional yet effective approaches such as non-planar wings, dynamic soaring, exploiting aeroelastic effects, collaborative control, flapping, and fibrous active materials. These approaches and other novel technologies for future flight vehicles are being studied in NASA's Morphing Project. This paper will discuss recent findings in the aeronautics-based, biologically-inspired research in the project.

Catalysts, methods of making catalysts, and methods of use

KAUST Repository

Renard, Laetitia; El Eter, Mohamad; Caps, Valerie; Basset, Jean-Marie

2014-01-01

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for catalysts, methods of making catalysts, methods of using catalysts, and the like. In an embodiment, the method of making the catalysts can be performed in a single step with a metal nanoparticle precursor and a metal oxide precursor, where a separate stabilizing agent is not needed.

Catalysts, methods of making catalysts, and methods of use

KAUST Repository

Renard, Laetitia

2014-03-06

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for catalysts, methods of making catalysts, methods of using catalysts, and the like. In an embodiment, the method of making the catalysts can be performed in a single step with a metal nanoparticle precursor and a metal oxide precursor, where a separate stabilizing agent is not needed.

Biologically inspired toys using artificial muscles

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Y.

2001-01-01

Recent developments in electroactive polymers, so-called artificial muscles, could one day be used to make bionics possible. Meanwhile, as this technology evolves novel mechanisms are expected to emerge that are biologically inspired.

Development of Ni-Based Catalysts Derived from Hydrotalcite-Like Compounds Precursors for Synthesis Gas Production via Methane or Ethanol Reforming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ya-Li Du

2017-02-01

Full Text Available As a favorably clean fuel, syngas (synthesis gas production has been the focus of concern in past decades. Substantial literatures reported the syngas production by various catalytic reforming reactions particularly in methane or ethanol reforming. Among the developed catalysts in these reforming processes, Ni-based catalysts from hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTLcs precursors have drawn considerable attention for their preferable structural traits. This review covers the recent literature reporting syngas production with Ni-based catalysts from HTLc precursors via methane or ethanol reforming. The discussion was initiated with catalyst preparation (including conventional and novel means, followed by subsequent thermal treatment processes, then composition design and the addition of promoters in these catalysts. As Ni-based catalysts have thermodynamic potential to deactivate because of carbon deposition or metal sintering, measures for dealing with these problems were finally summarized. To obtain optimal catalytic performances and resultantly better syngas production, based on analyzing the achievements of the references, some perspectives were finally proposed.

Tritium transfer process using the CRNL wetproof catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuang, K.T.; Holtslander, W.J.

1980-01-01

The recovery of tritium from heavy water in CANDU reactor systems requires the transfer of the tritium atoms from water to hydrogen molecules prior to tritium concentration by cryogenic distillation. Isotopic exchange between liquid water and hydrogen using the CRNL-developed wetproof catalyst provides an effective method for the tritium transfer process. The development of this process has required the translation of the technology from a laboratory demonstration of catalyst activity for the exchange reaction to proving and demonstration that the process will meet the practical restraints in a full-scale tritium recovery plant. This has led to a program to demonstrate acceptable performance of the catalyst at operating conditions that will provide data for design of large plants. Laboratory and pilot plant work has shown adequate catalyst lifetimes, demonstrated catalyst regeneration techniques and defined and required feedwater purification systems to ensure optimum catalyst performance. The ability of the catalyst to promote the exchange of hydrogen isotopes between water and hydrogen has been shown to be technically feasible for the tritium transfer process

TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR IRON AND COBALT FISCHER-TROPSCH CATALYSTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burtron H. Davis

1999-01-30

The effects of copper on Fischer-Tropsch activity, selectivity and water-gas shift activity were studied over a wide range of syngas conversion. Three catalyst compositions were prepared for this study: (a) 100Fe/4.6Si/1.4K, (b) 100Fe/4.6Si/0.10Cu/1.4K and (c) 100Fe/4.6Si/2.0Cu/1.4K. The results are reported in Task 2. The literature review for cobalt catalysts is approximately 90% complete. Due to the size of the document, it has been submitted as a separate report labeled Task 6.

Rejuvenation of the SCR catalyst at Mehrum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagai, Y.; Inatsume, Y.; Morita, I.; Kato, Y.; Yokoyama, K.; Ito, K. [Babcock Hitachi K.K., Kure-shi, Hiroshima-ken (Japan)

2004-07-01

Babcock Hitachi K.K. (BHK) received the contract of the rejuvenation of the SCR catalyst at the 750 MW coal-fired Mehrum Power Station (in Hohenhameln, Germany) in March 2003. The contractual coverage was 160 m{sup 3} of the entire catalyst layer. The catalyst, which had been in operation for 16 years since 1987, was originally supplied by BHK. The rejuvenation process developed for the Mehrum project consisted of two major steps: the first is to dust off the catalyst and remove the catalyst poison, and the second step is to add active material to enhance the catalyst activity. The catalyst must be dried after each washing. In order to minimize transportation cost and time, the rejuvenation work was done at the Mehrum station site. The scope of the rejuvenation work was shared between the owner and BHK. It took about one and a half months to complete the (total) on-site rejuvenation worked. The performance of the rejuvenated catalyst was superior to show the same level of activity as the unused catalyst and maintain the same SO{sub 2} conversion rate as the spent catalyst. This paper gives the details of the spent coal-fired SCR catalyst rejuvenation work. 13 figs., 1 tab.

Deactivation-resistant catalyst for selective catalyst reduction of NOx

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2011-01-01

The present invention relates to a catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NOx in alkali metal containing flue gas using ammonia as reductant, the catalyst comprising a surface with catalytically active sites, wherein the surface is at least partly coated with a coating comprising at least...... one metal oxide. In another aspect the present invention relates to the use of said catalyst and to a method of producing said catalyst. In addition, the present invention relates to a method of treating an catalyst for conferring thereon an improved resistance to alkali poisoning....

Media Pembelajaran Interaktif Lectora Inspire sebagai Inovasi Pembelajaran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norma Dewi Shalikhah

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract The utilization of information and communication technology in education sector is a tremendous output. Support of ICT is hoped to become an innovation in learning with many involving information technology components inside. Therefore, in globalization era, education sector can not pass from its extent, with involves the inherent technology can produce a system of education. This paper discusses the interactive learning media that involve education technology using lectora inspire application. Lectora inspire is designed specifically for the beginner with purpose user friendly to use to make learning media, and can make the material test or evaluation. The development of interactive learning media with lectora inspire is conducted with how to provide training to the teachers in the elementary school. The methods are done with phases, includes gathering information, planning tools, implementing, presenting and reflecting. The object of this training is MIM Jagalan and MIM Jumoyo Greeting sub Magelang regency. Keywords: Media Interactive Learning, Lectora Inspire, Learning Innovation

Ships - inspiring objects in architecture

Science.gov (United States)

Marczak, Elzbieta

2017-10-01

Sea-going vessels have for centuries fascinated people, not only those who happen to work at sea, but first and foremost, those who have never set foot aboard a ship. The environment in which ships operate is reminiscent of freedom and countless adventures, but also of hard and interesting maritime working life. The famous words of Pompey: “Navigare necesseest, vivere non estnecesse” (sailing is necessary, living - is not necessary), which he pronounced on a stormy sea voyage, arouse curiosity and excitement, inviting one to test the truth of this saying personally. It is often the case, however, that sea-faring remains within the realm of dreams, while the fascination with ships demonstrates itself through a transposition of naval features onto land constructions. In such cases, ship-inspired motifs bring alive dreams and yearnings as well as reflect tastes. Tourism is one of the indicators of people’s standard of living and a measure of a society’s civilisation. Maritime tourism has been developing rapidly in recent decades. A sea cruise offers an insight into life at sea. Still, most people derive their knowledge of passenger vessels and their furnishings from the mass media. Passenger vessels, also known as “floating cities,” are described as majestic and grand, while their on-board facilities as luxurious, comfortable, exclusive and inaccessible to common people on land. Freight vessels, on the other hand, are described as enormous objects which dwarf the human being into insignificance. This article presents the results of research intended to answer the following questions: what makes ships a source of inspiration for land architecture? To what extent and by what means do architects draw on ships in their design work? In what places can we find structures inspired by ships? What ships inspire architects? This article presents examples of buildings, whose design was inspired by the architecture and structural details of sea vessels. An analysis of

Design and development of bio-inspired framework for reservoir operation optimization

Science.gov (United States)

Asvini, M. Sakthi; Amudha, T.

2017-12-01

Frameworks for optimal reservoir operation play an important role in the management of water resources and delivery of economic benefits. Effective utilization and conservation of water from reservoirs helps to manage water deficit periods. The main challenge in reservoir optimization is to design operating rules that can be used to inform real-time decisions on reservoir release. We develop a bio-inspired framework for the optimization of reservoir release to satisfy the diverse needs of various stakeholders. In this work, single-objective optimization and multiobjective optimization problems are formulated using an algorithm known as "strawberry optimization" and tested with actual reservoir data. Results indicate that well planned reservoir operations lead to efficient deployment of the reservoir water with the help of optimal release patterns.

A survey of snake-inspired robot designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopkins, James K; Spranklin, Brent W; Gupta, Satyandra K

2009-01-01

Body undulation used by snakes and the physical architecture of a snake body may offer significant benefits over typical legged or wheeled locomotion designs in certain types of scenarios. A large number of research groups have developed snake-inspired robots to exploit these benefits. The purpose of this review is to report different types of snake-inspired robot designs and categorize them based on their main characteristics. For each category, we discuss their relative advantages and disadvantages. This review will assist in familiarizing a newcomer to the field with the existing designs and their distinguishing features. We hope that by studying existing robots, future designers will be able to create new designs by adopting features from successful robots. The review also summarizes the design challenges associated with the further advancement of the field and deploying snake-inspired robots in practice. (topical review)

A Tony Thomas-Inspired Guide to INSPIRE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Connell, Heath B.; /Fermilab

2010-04-01

The SPIRES database was created in the late 1960s to catalogue the high energy physics preprints received by the SLAC Library. In the early 1990s it became the first database on the web and the first website outside of Europe. Although indispensible to the HEP community, its aging software infrastructure is becoming a serious liability. In a joint project involving CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC, a new database, INSPIRE, is being created to replace SPIRES using CERN's modern, open-source Invenio database software. INSPIRE will maintain the content and functionality of SPIRES plus many new features. I describe this evolution from the birth of SPIRES to the current day, noting that the career of Tony Thomas spans this timeline.

A Tony Thomas-Inspired Guide to INSPIRE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Connell, Heath B.

2010-01-01

The SPIRES database was created in the late 1960s to catalogue the high energy physics preprints received by the SLAC Library. In the early 1990s it became the first database on the web and the first website outside of Europe. Although indispensible to the HEP community, its aging software infrastructure is becoming a serious liability. In a joint project involving CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC, a new database, INSPIRE, is being created to replace SPIRES using CERN's modern, open-source Invenio database software. INSPIRE will maintain the content and functionality of SPIRES plus many new features. I describe this evolution from the birth of SPIRES to the current day, noting that the career of Tony Thomas spans this timeline.

Design and development of a bio-inspired, under-actuated soft gripper.

Science.gov (United States)

Hassan, Taimoor; Manti, Mariangela; Passetti, Giovanni; d'Elia, Nicolò; Cianchetti, Matteo; Laschi, Cecilia

2015-08-01

The development of robotic devices able to perform manipulation tasks mimicking the human hand has been assessed on large scale. This work stands in the challenging scenario where soft materials are combined with bio-inspired design in order to develop soft grippers with improved grasping and holding capabilities. We are going to show a low-cost, under-actuated and adaptable soft gripper, highlighting the design and the manufacturing process. In particular, a critical analysis is made among three versions of the gripper with same design and actuation mechanism, but based on different materials. A novel actuation principle has been implemented in both cases, in order to reduce the encumbrance of the entire system and improve its aesthetics. Grasping and holding capabilities have been tested for each device, with target objects varying in shape, size and material. Results highlight synergy between the geometry and the intrinsic properties of the soft material, showing the way to novel design principles for soft grippers.

Development of biomimetic catalytic oxidation methods and non-salt methods using transition metal-based acid and base ambiphilic catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

MURAHASHI, Shun-Ichi

2011-01-01

This review focuses on the development of ruthenium and flavin catalysts for environmentally benign oxidation reactions based on mimicking the functions of cytochrome P-450 and flavoenzymes, and low valent transition-metal catalysts that replace conventional acids and bases. Several new concepts and new types of catalytic reactions based on these concepts are described. PMID:21558760

Molecular catalysts structure and functional design

CERN Document Server

Gade, Lutz H

2014-01-01

Highlighting the key aspects and latest advances in the rapidly developing field of molecular catalysis, this book covers new strategies to investigate reaction mechanisms, the enhancement of the catalysts' selectivity and efficiency, as well as the rational design of well-defined molecular catalysts. The interdisciplinary author team with an excellent reputation within the community discusses experimental and theoretical studies, along with examples of improved catalysts, and their application in organic synthesis, biocatalysis, and supported organometallic catalysis. As a result, readers wil

CATALYSTS NHI Thermochemical Systems FY 2009 Year-End Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ginosar, Daniel M.

2009-01-01

Fiscal Year 2009 work in the Catalysts project focused on advanced catalysts for the decomposition of sulfuric acid, a reaction common to both the Sulfur-Iodine (S-I) cycle and the Hybrid Sulfur cycle. Prior years effort in this project has found that although platinum supported on titanium oxide will be an acceptable catalyst for sulfuric acid decomposition in the integrated laboratory scale (ILS) project, the material has short comings, including significant cost and high deactivation rates due to sintering and platinum evaporation. For pilot and larger scale systems, the catalyst stability needs to be improved significantly. In Fiscal Year 2008 it was found that at atmospheric pressure, deactivation rates of a 1 wt% platinum catalyst could be reduced by 300% by adding either 0.3 wt% iridium (Ir) or 0.3 wt% ruthenium (Ru) to the catalyst. In Fiscal Year 2009, work focused on examining the platinum group metal catalysts activity and stability at elevated pressures. In addition, simple and complex metal oxides are known to catalyze the sulfuric acid decomposition reaction. These metal oxides could offer activities comparable to platinum but at significantly reduced cost. Thus a second focus for Fiscal Year 2009 was to explore metal oxide catalysts for the sulfuric acid decomposition reaction. In Fiscal Year 2007 several commercial activated carbons had been identified for the HI decomposition reaction; a reaction specific to the S-I cycle. Those materials should be acceptable for the pilot scale project. The activated carbon catalysts have some disadvantages including low activity at the lower range of reactor operating temperature (350 to 400 C) and a propensity to generate carbon monoxide in the presence of water that could contaminate the hydrogen product, but due to limited funding, this area had low priority in Fiscal Year 2009. Fiscal Year 2009 catalyst work included five tasks: development, and testing of stabilized platinum based H2SO4 catalysts

Two Catalysts for Selective Oxidation of Contaminant Gases

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, John D.

2011-01-01

Two catalysts for the selective oxidation of trace amounts of contaminant gases in air have been developed for use aboard the International Space Station. These catalysts might also be useful for reducing concentrations of fumes in terrestrial industrial facilities especially facilities that use halocarbons as solvents, refrigerant liquids, and foaming agents, as well as facilities that generate or utilize ammonia. The first catalyst is of the supported-precious-metal type. This catalyst is highly active for the oxidation of halocarbons, hydrocarbons, and oxygenates at low concentrations in air. This catalyst is more active for the oxidation of hydrocarbons and halocarbons than are competing catalysts developed in recent years. This catalyst completely converts these airborne contaminant gases to carbon dioxide, water, and mineral acids that can be easily removed from the air, and does not make any chlorine gas in the process. The catalyst is thermally stable and is not poisoned by chlorine or fluorine atoms produced on its surface during the destruction of a halocarbon. In addition, the catalyst can selectively oxidize ammonia to nitrogen at a temperature between 200 and 260 C, without making nitrogen oxides, which are toxic. The temperature of 260 C is higher than the operational temperature of any other precious-metal catalyst that can selectively oxidize ammonia. The purpose of the platinum in this catalyst is to oxidize hydrocarbons and to ensure that the oxidation of halocarbons goes to completion. However, the platinum exhibits little or no activity for initiating the destruction of halocarbons. Instead, the attack on the halocarbons is initiated by the support. The support also provides a high surface area for exposure of the platinum. Moreover, the support resists deactivation or destruction by halogens released during the destruction of halocarbons. The second catalyst is of the supported- metal-oxide type. This catalyst can selectively oxidize ammonia to

INSPIRED High School Computing Academies

Science.gov (United States)

Doerschuk, Peggy; Liu, Jiangjiang; Mann, Judith

2011-01-01

If we are to attract more women and minorities to computing we must engage students at an early age. As part of its mission to increase participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computing, the Increasing Student Participation in Research Development Program (INSPIRED) conducts computing academies for high school students. The…

Optimization of catalyst system reaps economic benefits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Roy, C.F.; Hanshaw, M.J.; Fischer, S.M.; Malik, T.; Kooiman, R.R.

1991-01-01

Champlin Refining and Chemicals Inc. is learning to optimize its catalyst systems for hydrotreating Venezuelan gas oils through a program of research, pilot plant testing, and commercial unit operation. The economic results of this project have been evaluated, and the benefits are most evident in improvements in product yields and qualities. The project has involved six commercial test runs, to date (Runs 10-15), with a seventh run planned. A summary of the different types of catalyst systems used in the test runs, and the catalyst philosophy that developed is given. Runs 10 and 11 used standard CoMo and NiMo catalysts for heavy gas oils hydrotreating. These catalysts had small pore sizes and suffered high deactivation rates because of metals contamination. When it was discovered that metals contamination was a problem, catalyst options were reviewed

The scientific study of inspiration in the creative process: Challenges and opportunities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria C. Oleynick

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Inspiration is a motivational state that compels individuals to bring ideas into fruition. Creators have long argued that inspiration is important to the creative process, but until recently, scientists have not investigated this claim. In this article, we review challenges to the study of creative inspiration, as well as solutions to these challenges afforded by theoretical and empirical work on inspiration over the past decade. First, we discuss the problem of definitional ambiguity, which has been addressed through an integrative process of construct conceptualization. Second, we discuss the challenge of how to operationalize inspiration. This challenge has been overcome by the development and validation of the Inspiration Scale, which may be used to assess trait or state inspiration. Third, we address ambiguity regarding how inspiration differs from related concepts (creativity, insight, positive affect by discussing discriminant validity. Next, we discuss the preconception that inspiration is less important than perspiration (effort, and we review empirical evidence that inspiration and effort both play important—but different—roles in the creative process. Finally, with many challenges overcome, we argue that the foundation is now set for a new generation of research focused on neural underpinnings. We discuss potential challenges to and opportunities for the neuroscientific study of inspiration. A better understanding of the biological basis of inspiration will illuminate the process through which creative ideas fire the soul, such that individuals are compelled to transform ideas into products and solutions that may benefit society.

Realizing an Optimization Approach Inspired from Piaget’s Theory on Cognitive Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Utku Kose

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to introduce an artificial intelligence based optimization approach, which is inspired from Piaget’s theory on cognitive development. The approach has been designed according to essential processes that an individual may experience while learning something new or improving his / her knowledge. These processes are associated with the Piaget’s ideas on an individual’s cognitive development. The approach expressed in this paper is a simple algorithm employing swarm intelligence oriented tasks in order to overcome single-objective optimization problems. For evaluating effectiveness of this early version of the algorithm, test operations have been done via some benchmark functions. The obtained results show that the approach / algorithm can be an alternative to the literature in terms of single-objective optimization.The authors have suggested the name: Cognitive Development Optimization Algorithm (CoDOA for the related intelligent optimization approach.

Drawing inspiration from biological optical systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wolpert, H. D.

2009-08-01

Bio-Mimicking/Bio-Inspiration: How can we not be inspired by Nature? Life has evolved on earth over the last 3.5 to 4 billion years. Materials formed during this time were not toxic; they were created at low temperatures and low pressures unlike many of the materials developed today. The natural materials formed are self-assembled, multifunctional, nonlinear, complex, adaptive, self-repairing and biodegradable. The designs that failed are fossils. Those that survived are the success stories. Natural materials are mostly formed from organics, inorganic crystals and amorphous phases. The materials make economic sense by optimizing the design of the structures or systems to meet multiple needs. We constantly "see" many similar strategies in approaches, between man and nature, but we seldom look at the details of natures approaches. The power of image processing, in many of natures creatures, is a detail that is often overlooked. Seldon does the engineer interact with the biologist and learn what nature has to teach us. The variety and complexity of biological materials and the optical systems formed should inspire us.

Development of a bio-inspired UAV perching system

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Pu

Although technologies of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) including micro air vehicles (MAVs) have been greatly advanced in the recent years, it is still very difficult for a UAV to perform some very challenging tasks such as perching to any desired spot reliably and agilely like a bird. Unlike the UAVs, the biological control mechanism of birds has been optimized through millions of year evolution and hence, they can perform many extremely maneuverability tasks, such as perching or grasping accurately and robustly. Therefore, we have good reason to learn from the nature in order to significantly improve the capabilities of UAVs. The development of a UAV perching system is becoming feasible, especially after a lot of research contributions in ornithology which involve the analysis of the bird's functionalities. Meanwhile, as technology advances in many engineering fields, such as airframes, propulsion, sensors, batteries, micro-electromechanical-system (MEMS), and UAV technology is also advancing rapidly. All of these research efforts in ornithology and the fast growing development technologies in UAV applications are motivating further interests and development in the area of UAV perching and grasping research. During the last decade, the research contributions about UAV perching and grasping were mainly based on fixed-wing, flapping-wing, and rotorcraft UAVs. However, most of the current researches in UAV systems with perching and grasping capability are focusing on either active (powered) grasping and perching or passive (unpowered) perching. Although birds do have both active and passive perching capabilities depending on their needs, there is no UAV perching system with both capabilities. In this project, we focused on filling this gap. Inspired by the anatomy analysis of bird legs and feet, a novel perching system has been developed to implement the bionics action for both active grasping and passive perching. In addition, for developing a robust and

Development of biomimetic catalytic oxidation methods and non-salt methods using transition metal-based acid and base ambiphilic catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Murahashi, Shun-Ichi

2011-01-01

This review focuses on the development of ruthenium and flavin catalysts for environmentally benign oxidation reactions based on mimicking the functions of cytochrome P-450 and flavoenzymes, and low valent transition-metal catalysts that replace conventional acids and bases. Several new concepts and new types of catalytic reactions based on these concepts are described. (Communicated by Ryoji Noyori, M.J.A.).

Reggio Emilia Inspired Learning Groups: Relationships, Communication, Cognition, and Play

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Seong Bock; Shaffer, LaShorage; Han, Jisu

2017-01-01

A key aspect of the Reggio Emilia inspired curriculum is a learning group approach that fosters social and cognitive development. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how a Reggio Emilia inspired learning group approach works for children with and without disabilities. This study gives insight into how to form an appropriate learning group…

An introduction to catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Hak Je

1988-11-01

This book explains basic conception of catalyst such as definition, velocity of chemical reaction and velocity of catalyst reaction, absorption with absorption energy and chemical absorption, pore structure with the role of pore and measurement of pore structure, catalyst activity on solid structure, electrical property on catalyst activity, choice and design of catalyst, catalytic reaction with reaction velocity and chemical equilibrium and reaction velocity model, measurement of reaction velocity and material analysis, catalyst for mixed compound, catalyst for solid acid and catalyst for supported metal.

Brief Communication: CATALYST - a multi-regional stakeholder Think Tank for fostering capacity development in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Terwisscha van Scheltinga, C.T.H.M.; Hare, M.P.; Bers, van C.; Keur, van der P.

2014-01-01

This brief communication presents the work and objectives of the CATALYST project on "Capacity Development for Hazard Risk Reduction and Adaptation" funded by the European Commission (October 2011–September 2013). CATALYST set up a multi-regional think tank covering four regions (Central America and

Selective Oxidations using Nanostructured Heterogeneous Catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mielby, Jerrik Jørgen

and because they produce H2O as the only by-product. Chapter 1 gives a short introduction to basic concepts in heterogeneous catalysis and green chemistry. Furthermore, the chapter gives an overview of the most important strategies to synthesise functional nanostructured materials and highlights how detailed......The aim of this thesis is to investigate and develop new efficient methods to oxidise alcohols and amines using heterogeneous catalysts and either O2 or H2O2 as oxidants. From an economic and environmental point of view, these oxidants are ideal, because they are cheap and readily available...... understanding of size, shape and structure can help in the development of new and more efficient heterogeneous catalysts. The chapter is not intended to give a complete survey, but rather to introduce some of the recent developments in the synthesis of nanostructured heterogeneous catalysts. Finally...

The generation of efficient supported (Heterogeneous) olefin metathesis catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grubbs, Robert H

2013-04-05

Over the past decade, a new family of homogeneous metathesis catalysts has been developed that will tolerate most organic functionalities as well as water and air. These homogeneous catalysts are finding numerous applications in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the production of functional polymers. In addition the catalysts are being used to convert seed oils into products that can substitute for those that are now made from petroleum products. Seed oils are unsaturated, contain double bonds, and are a ready source of linear hydrocarbon fragments that are specifically functionalized. To increase the number of applications in the area of biomaterial conversion to petrol chemicals, the activity and efficiency of the catalysts need to be as high as possible. The higher the efficiency of the catalysts, the lower the cost of the conversion and a larger number of practical applications become available. Active supported catalysts were prepared and tested in the conversion of seed oils and other important starting materials. The outcome of the work was successful and the technology has been transferred to a commercial operation to develop viable applications of the discovered systems. A biorefinery that converts seed oils is under construction in Indonesia. The catalysts developed in this study will be considered for the next generation of operations.

Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalysis: Ag-Doped TiO2 Catalyst Development and Reactor Design Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Coutts, Janelle L.; Hintze, Paul E.; Meier, Anne; Shah, Malay G.; Devor, Robert W.; Surma, Jan M.; Maloney, Phillip R.; Bauer, Brint M.; Mazyck, David W.

2016-01-01

In recent years, the alteration of titanium dioxide to become visible-light-responsive (VLR) has been a major focus in the field of photocatalysis. Currently, bare titanium dioxide requires ultraviolet light for activation due to its band gap energy of 3.2 eV. Hg-vapor fluorescent light sources are used in photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) reactors to provide adequate levels of ultraviolet light for catalyst activation; these mercury-containing lamps, however, hinder the use of this PCO technology in a spaceflight environment due to concerns over crew Hg exposure. VLR-TiO2 would allow for use of ambient visible solar radiation or highly efficient visible wavelength LEDs, both of which would make PCO approaches more efficient, flexible, economical, and safe. Over the past three years, Kennedy Space Center has developed a VLR Ag-doped TiO2 catalyst with a band gap of 2.72 eV and promising photocatalytic activity. Catalyst immobilization techniques, including incorporation of the catalyst into a sorbent material, were examined. Extensive modeling of a reactor test bed mimicking air duct work with throughput similar to that seen on the International Space Station was completed to determine optimal reactor design. A bench-scale reactor with the novel catalyst and high-efficiency blue LEDs was challenged with several common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in ISS cabin air to evaluate the system's ability to perform high-throughput trace contaminant removal. The ultimate goal for this testing was to determine if the unit would be useful in pre-heat exchanger operations to lessen condensed VOCs in recovered water thus lowering the burden of VOC removal for water purification systems.

Dispersed catalysts for co-processing and coal liquefaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bockrath, B.; Parfitt, D.; Miller, R. [Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, PA (United States)

1995-12-31

The basic goal is to improve dispersed catalysts employed in the production of clean fuels from low value hydrocarbons. The immediate objective is to determine how the properties of the catalysts may be altered to match the demands placed on them by the properties of the feedstock, the qualities of the desired end products, and the economic constraints put upon the process. Several interrelated areas of the application of dispersed catalysts to co-processing and coal conversion are under investigation. The first involves control of the selectivity of MoS{sub 2} catalysts for HDN, HDS, and hydrogenation of aromatics. A second area of research is the development and use of methods to evaluate dispersed catalysts by means of activity and selectivity tests. A micro-flow reactor has been developed for determining intrinsic reactivities using model compounds, and will be used to compare catalysts prepared in different ways. Micro-autoclaves will also be used to develop data in batch experiments at higher partial pressures of hydrogen. The third area under investigation concerns hydrogen spillover reactions between MoS{sub 2} catalysts and carbonaceous supports. Preliminary results obtained by monitoring H{sub 2}/D{sub 2} exchange reactions with a pulse-flow microreactor indicate the presence of spillover between MoS{sub 2} and a graphitic carbon. A more complete study will be made at a later stage of the project. Accomplishments and conclusions are discussed.

INSPIRE: Interactive NASA Space Physics Ionosphere Radio Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Franzen, K. A.; Garcia, L. N.; Webb, P. A.; Green, J. L.

2007-12-01

The INSPIRE Project is a non-profit scientific and educational corporation whose objective is to bring the excitement of observing very low frequency (VLF) natural radio waves to high school students. Underlying this objective is the conviction that science and technology are the underpinnings of our modern society, and that only with an understanding of these disciplines can people make correct decisions in their lives. Since 1989, the INSPIRE Project has provided specially designed radio receiver kits to over 2,500 students and other groups to make observations of signals in the VLF frequency range. These kits provide an innovative and unique opportunity for students to actively gather data that can be used in a basic research project. Natural VLF emissions that can be studied with the INSPIRE receiver kits include sferics, tweeks, whistlers, and chorus, which originate from phenomena such as lightning. These emissions can either come from the local atmospheric environment within a few tens of kilometers of the receiver or from outer space thousands of kilometers from the Earth. VLF emissions are at such low frequencies that they can be received, amplified and turned into sound that we can hear, with each emission producing in a distinctive sound. In 2006 INSPIRE was re-branded and its mission has expanded to developing new partnerships with multiple science projects. Links to magnetospheric physics, astronomy, and meteorology are being identified. This presentation will introduce the INSPIRE project, display the INSPIRE receiver kits, show examples of the types of VLF emissions that can be collected and provide information on scholarship programs being offered.

Engineering New Catalysts for In-Process Elimination of Tars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Felix, Larry G. [Gas Technology Inst., Des Plaines, IL (United States)

2012-09-30

The key objective of this project was to develop a new and more efficient methodology for engineering and economically producing optimized robust catalysts for the reduction or elimination of tars in biomass gasification. Whereas current catalyst technology typically disposes thin layers of catalytically-active material onto rigid supports via wet chemistry-based methods, this project investigated novel thermal methods for directly incorporating catalytically active materials onto robust supports as well as novel approaches for incorporating catalytically active materials on and/or within an otherwise inert refractory support material which is then subsequently formed and processed to create a catalytically-active material on all exposed surfaces. Specifically, the focus of this engineered catalyst development was on materials which were derived from, or otherwise related to, olivine-like minerals, due to the inherent attrition resistance and moderate catalytic properties exhibited by natural olivine when used in a fluidized bed biomass gasifier. Task 1 of this project successfully demonstrated the direct thermal impregnation of catalytically-active materials onto an olivine substrate, with the production of a Ni-olivine catalyst. Nickel and nickel oxide were thermally impregnated onto an olivine substrate and when reduced were shown to demonstrate improved catalytic activity over the baseline olivine material and equal the tar-decomposing performance of Ni-olivine catalysts prepared by conventional wet impregnation. Task 2 involved coordination with our subcontracted project partners to further develop and characterize catalyst formulations and to optimize activity and production methods. Within this task, several significant new materials were developed. NexTech Materials developed a sintered ceramic nickel-magnesium-silicate catalyst that demonstrated superb catalytic activity and high resistance to deactivation by H2S. Alfred University developed both supported

Kinds of inspiration in interaction design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Halskov, Kim

2010-01-01

In this paper, we explore the role of sources of inspiration in interaction design. We identify four strategies for relating sources of inspiration to emerging ideas: selection; adaptation; translation; and combination. As our starting point, we argue that sources of inspiration are a form...... of knowledge crucial to creativity. Our research is based on empirical findings arising from the use of Inspiration Card Workshops, which are collaborative design events in which domain and technology insight are combined to create design concepts. In addition to the systematically introduced sources...... of inspiration that form part of the workshop format, a number of spontaneous sources of inspiration emerged during these workshops....

Preparative characteristics of hydrophobic polymer catalyst for the tritium removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Hee Suk; Choi, H. J.; Lee, H. S.; Ahn, D. H.; Kim, K. R.; Paek, S. W.; Paek, S. W.; Kim, J. G.; Chung, H. S.

2001-05-01

The optimum method for the fabrication of hydrophobic catalyst was selected and the apparatuses for the preparation of catalyst support with high yield was developed for the large scale production. Also, we summarized the method of improving the physical property of the catalyst support, the loading characteristics of Pt metal as a catalyst, and the characteristics of the apparatus for the fabrication of the catalysts on a large scale

Preparative characteristics of hydrophobic polymer catalyst for the tritium removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Hee Suk; Choi, H. J.; Lee, H. S.; Ahn, D. H.; Kim, K. R.; Paek, S. W.; Kim, J. G.; Chung, H. S

2001-05-01

The optimum method for the fabrication of hydrophobic catalyst was selected and the apparatuses for the preparation of catalyst support with high yield was developed for the large scale production. Also, we summarized the method of improving the physical property of the catalyst support, the loading characteristics of Pt metal as a catalyst, and the characteristics of the apparatus for the fabrication of the catalysts on a large scale.

Removal of silver nanoparticles by mussel-inspired Fe3O4@ polydopamine core-shell microspheres and its use as efficient catalyst for methylene blue reduction

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Maoling; Li, Yinying; Yue, Rui; Zhang, Xiaodan; Huang, Yuming

2017-02-01

The removal of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) from water is highly needed because of their increasing use and potential risk to the environment due to their toxic effects. Catalysis over AgNPs has received significant attention because of their highly catalytic performance. However, their use in practical applications is limited due to high cost and limited resources. Here, we present for the first time that the mussel-inspired Fe3O4@polydopamine (Fe3O4@PDA) nanocomposite can be used for efficient removal and recovery of AgNPs. Adsorption of AgNPs over Fe3O4@PDA was confirmed by TEM, FT-IR, XRD, TGA and magnetic property. The adsorption efficiency of AgNPs by Fe3O4@PDA was investigated as a function of pH, contact time, ionic strength and concentration of AgNPs. The kinetic data were well fitted to a pseudo-second order kinetic model. The isotherm data were well described by Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 169.5 mg/g, which was higher than those by other adsorbents. Notably, the obtained AgNPs-Fe3O4@PDA exhibited highly catalytic activity for methylene blue reduction by NaBH4 with a rate constant of 1.44 × 10-3/s, which was much higher than those by other AgNPs catalysts. The AgNPs-Fe3O4@PDA promised good recyclability for at least 8 cycles and acid resistant with good stability.

Development of an Innovative XRD-DRIFTS Prototype Allowing Operando Characterizations during Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis over Cobalt-Based Catalysts under Representative Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scalbert Julien

2015-03-01

Full Text Available An original system combining both X-Ray Diffraction and diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy was developed with the aim to characterize Fischer-Tropsch catalysts in relevant reaction conditions. The catalytic properties of a model PtCo/silica catalyst tested with this prototype have shown to be in the same range of those obtained in similar conditions with classical fixed-bed reactors. No bulk cobalt oxidation nor sintering were observed on operando XRD patterns. The formation of linear carbonyls and adsorbed hydrocarbons species at the surface of the catalyst was observed on operando DRIFT spectra. The surface of the catalyst was also suspected to be covered with carbon species inducing unfavorable changes in selectivity.

Recent developments in bio-inspired sensors fabricated by additive manufacturing technologies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Sanders, Remco G.P.

2017-01-01

In our work on micro-fabricated hair-sensors, inspired by the flow-sensitive sensors found on crickets, we have made great progress. Initially delivering mediocre performance compared to their natural counter parts they have evolved into capable sensors with thresholds roughly a factor of 30 larger

Impeded solid state reactions and transformations in ceramic catalysts supports and catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernő E. Kiss

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Impeded chemical reactions and impeded polymorphous transformation in materials are discussed, as desired effects, for stabilization of ceramic catalyst supports and ceramic based catalysts. This paper gives a short overview about the possibilities of slowing down the aging processes in ceramic catalyst supports and catalysts. Special attention is given to alumina and titania based catalysts.

Clay Bells: Edo Inspiration

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Tom

2010-01-01

The ceremonial copper and iron bells at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art were the author's inspiration for an interdisciplinary unit with a focus on the contributions various cultures make toward the richness of a community. The author of this article describes an Edo bell-inspired ceramic project incorporating slab-building…

Pengembangan Media Pembelajaran Fisika Menggunakan Lectora Inspire pada Materi Usaha dan Energi SMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inggrid Ayu Putri

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract The development of instructional media aims to help students to do independent learning outside the classroom but still under the supervision of teachers. This study uses Research and Development (R & D DDD-E type developed by Ivers and Barron. The steps of DDD-E developing method method consist of Decide, Design, Develop, and Evaluate. Decide is determination of the project objectives, design determines the structure of the media contents to be developed, develop step is developing a media that is already planned. The evaluation exist on DDD steps, so the instructional media can be controlled. The software used in this research is Lectora Inspire. Lectora Inspire used on this research because the software user friendly or easy to use. Keywords: Lectora Inspire, media, work, energy Abstrak Pengembangan media pembelajaran ini bertujuan untuk membantu siswa dalam melakukan pembelajaran mandiri diluar kelas tetapi masih dalam pengawasan guru. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian dan pengembangan atau Research and Development (R&D tipe DDD-E yang dikembangkan oleh Ivers dan Barron. Langkah – langkah metode pengembangan DDD-E terdiri dari tahap decide, yaitu penentuan tujuan proyek, design, yaitu menentukan struktur isi dari media yang akan dikembangkan, develop adalah tahap untuk mengembangkan media pembelajaran yang sudah direncanakan. Tahap Evaluate adalah tahap evaluasi pengembangan media, dimana langkah ini terdapat pada seluruh tahapan DDD. Perangkat lunak yang digunakan adalah Lectora Inspire. Software ini dipilih karena langkah penggunaan yang user friendly atau mudah digunakan. Kata-kata kunci:Lectora Inspire, media, usaha, energi

Recent progress in the development of solid catalysts for biomass conversion into high value-added chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Michikazu; Nakajima, Kiyotaka; Kamata, Keigo

2015-06-01

In recent decades, the substitution of non-renewable fossil resources by renewable biomass as a sustainable feedstock has been extensively investigated for the manufacture of high value-added products such as biofuels, commodity chemicals, and new bio-based materials such as bioplastics. Numerous solid catalyst systems for the effective conversion of biomass feedstocks into value-added chemicals and fuels have been developed. Solid catalysts are classified into four main groups with respect to their structures and substrate activation properties: (a) micro- and mesoporous materials, (b) metal oxides, (c) supported metal catalysts, and (d) sulfonated polymers. This review article focuses on the activation of substrates and/or reagents on the basis of groups (a)-(d), and the corresponding reaction mechanisms. In addition, recent progress in chemocatalytic processes for the production of five industrially important products (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, lactic acid, glyceraldehyde, 1,3-dihydroxyacetone, and furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid) as bio-based plastic monomers and their intermediates is comprehensively summarized.

Recent progress in the development of solid catalysts for biomass conversion into high value-added chemicals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hara, Michikazu; Nakajima, Kiyotaka; Kamata, Keigo

2015-01-01

In recent decades, the substitution of non-renewable fossil resources by renewable biomass as a sustainable feedstock has been extensively investigated for the manufacture of high value-added products such as biofuels, commodity chemicals, and new bio-based materials such as bioplastics. Numerous solid catalyst systems for the effective conversion of biomass feedstocks into value-added chemicals and fuels have been developed. Solid catalysts are classified into four main groups with respect to their structures and substrate activation properties: (a) micro- and mesoporous materials, (b) metal oxides, (c) supported metal catalysts, and (d) sulfonated polymers. This review article focuses on the activation of substrates and/or reagents on the basis of groups (a)–(d), and the corresponding reaction mechanisms. In addition, recent progress in chemocatalytic processes for the production of five industrially important products (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, lactic acid, glyceraldehyde, 1,3-dihydroxyacetone, and furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid) as bio-based plastic monomers and their intermediates is comprehensively summarized. (focus issue review)

Recent progress in the development of solid catalysts for biomass conversion into high value-added chemicals

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Michikazu; Nakajima, Kiyotaka; Kamata, Keigo

2015-01-01

In recent decades, the substitution of non-renewable fossil resources by renewable biomass as a sustainable feedstock has been extensively investigated for the manufacture of high value-added products such as biofuels, commodity chemicals, and new bio-based materials such as bioplastics. Numerous solid catalyst systems for the effective conversion of biomass feedstocks into value-added chemicals and fuels have been developed. Solid catalysts are classified into four main groups with respect to their structures and substrate activation properties: (a) micro- and mesoporous materials, (b) metal oxides, (c) supported metal catalysts, and (d) sulfonated polymers. This review article focuses on the activation of substrates and/or reagents on the basis of groups (a)–(d), and the corresponding reaction mechanisms. In addition, recent progress in chemocatalytic processes for the production of five industrially important products (5-hydroxymethylfurfural, lactic acid, glyceraldehyde, 1,3-dihydroxyacetone, and furan-2,5-dicarboxylic acid) as bio-based plastic monomers and their intermediates is comprehensively summarized. PMID:27877800

Development of Low Temperature Catalysts for an Integrated Ammonia PEM Fuel Cell

OpenAIRE

Hill, Alfred

2014-01-01

It is proposed that an integrated ammonia-PEM fuel cell could unlock the potential of ammonia to act as a high capacity chemical hydrogen storage vector and enable renewable energy to be delivered eectively to road transport applications. Catalysts are developed for low temperature ammonia decomposition with activity from 450 K (ruthenium and cesium on graphitised carbon nanotubes). Results strongly suggest that the cesium is present on the surface and close proximity to ruthenium nanoparticl...

Key pillars of data interoperability in Earth Sciences - INSPIRE and beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Tomas, Robert; Lutz, Michael

2013-04-01

The well-known heterogeneity and fragmentation of data models, formats and controlled vocabularies of environmental data limit potential data users from utilising the wealth of environmental information available today across Europe. The main aim of INSPIRE1 is to improve this situation and give users possibility to access, use and correctly interpret environmental data. Over the past years number of INSPIRE technical guidelines (TG) and implementing rules (IR) for interoperability have been developed, involving hundreds of domain experts from across Europe. The data interoperability specifications, which have been developed for all 34 INSPIRE spatial data themes2, are the central component of the TG and IR. Several of these themes are related to the earth sciences, e.g. geology (including hydrogeology, geophysics and geomorphology), mineral and energy resources, soil science, natural hazards, meteorology, oceanography, hydrology and land cover. The following main pillars for data interoperability and harmonisation have been identified during the development of the specifications: Conceptual data models describe the spatial objects and their properties and relationships for the different spatial data themes. To achieve cross-domain harmonization, the data models for all themes are based on a common modelling framework (the INSPIRE Generic Conceptual Model3) and managed in a common UML repository. Harmonised vocabularies (or code lists) are to be used in data exchange in order to overcome interoperability issues caused by heterogeneous free-text and/or multi-lingual content. Since a mapping to a harmonized vocabulary could be difficult, the INSPIRE data models typically allow the provision of more specific terms from local vocabularies in addition to the harmonized terms - utilizing either the extensibility options or additional terminological attributes. Encoding. Currently, specific XML profiles of the Geography Markup Language (GML) are promoted as the standard

INSPIRE 2012 da Istanbul a Firenze

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Salvemini

2012-09-01

Full Text Available DURING THE CONFERENCE HELD IN  ISTANBUL IN  2012 INSPIRE  THE  NEWS  THAT  MOST  IMPRESSED ITALIANS PRESENT,  EVEN THOSE IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION , WAS THAT THE NEXT  INSPIRE CONFERENCE WILL TAKE PLACE IN  FLORENCEDurante la conferenza INSPIRE 2012 svoltasi ad Istanbul la notizia che ha maggiormente colpito gli italiani presenti, anche quelli della pubblica amministrazione , è stata che la prossima Conferenza INSPIRE si svolgerà a Firenze dal 23 al 27 giugno 2013.

INSPIRE 2012 da Istanbul a Firenze

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Salvemini

2012-09-01

Full Text Available DURING THE CONFERENCE HELD IN  ISTANBUL IN  2012 INSPIRE  THE  NEWS  THAT  MOST  IMPRESSED ITALIANS PRESENT,  EVEN THOSE IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION , WAS THAT THE NEXT  INSPIRE CONFERENCE WILL TAKE PLACE IN  FLORENCE Durante la conferenza INSPIRE 2012 svoltasi ad Istanbul la notizia che ha maggiormente colpito gli italiani presenti, anche quelli della pubblica amministrazione , è stata che la prossima Conferenza INSPIRE si svolgerà a Firenze dal 23 al 27 giugno 2013.

Carbons and carbon supported catalysts in hydroprocessing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furimsky, Edward

2009-07-01

This book is a comprehensive summary of recent research in the field and covers all areas of carbons and carbon materials. The potential application of carbon supports, particularly those of carbon black (CB) and activated carbon (AC) in hydroprocessing catalysis are covered. Novel carbon materials such as carbon fibers and carbon nano tubes (CNT) are also covered, including the more recent developments in the use of fullerenes in hydroprocessing applications. Although the primary focus of this book is on carbons and carbon supported catalysts, it also identifies the difference in the effect of carbon supports compared with the oxidic supports, particularly that of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The difference in catalyst activity and stability was estimated using both model compounds and real feeds under variable conditions. The conditions applied during the preparation of carbon supported catalysts are also comprehensively covered and include various methods of pretreatment of carbon supports to enhance catalyst performance. The model compounds results consistently show higher hydrodesulfurization and hydrodeoxygenation activities of carbon supported catalysts than that of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} supported catalysts. Also, the deactivation of the former catalysts by coke deposition was much less evident. Chapter 6.3.1.3 is on carbon-supported catalysts: coal-derived liquids.

Fifth International Conference on Innovations in Bio-Inspired Computing and Applications

CERN Document Server

Abraham, Ajith; Snášel, Václav

2014-01-01

This volume of Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing contains accepted papers presented at IBICA2014, the 5th International Conference on Innovations in Bio-inspired Computing and Applications. The aim of IBICA 2014 was to provide a platform for world research leaders and practitioners, to discuss the full spectrum of current theoretical developments, emerging technologies, and innovative applications of Bio-inspired Computing. Bio-inspired Computing remains to be one of the most exciting research areas, and it is continuously demonstrating exceptional strength in solving complex real life problems. The main driving force of the conference was to further explore the intriguing potential of Bio-inspired Computing. IBICA 2014 was held in Ostrava, Czech Republic and hosted by the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava.

Catalyst support structure, catalyst including the structure, reactor including a catalyst, and methods of forming same

Science.gov (United States)

Van Norman, Staci A.; Aston, Victoria J.; Weimer, Alan W.

2017-05-09

Structures, catalysts, and reactors suitable for use for a variety of applications, including gas-to-liquid and coal-to-liquid processes and methods of forming the structures, catalysts, and reactors are disclosed. The catalyst material can be deposited onto an inner wall of a microtubular reactor and/or onto porous tungsten support structures using atomic layer deposition techniques.

Homogeneous deuterium exchange using rhenium and platinum chloride catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fawdry, R.M.

1979-01-01

Previous studies of homogeneous hydrogen isotope exchange are mostly confined to one catalyst, the tetrachloroplatinite salt. Recent reports have indicated that chloride salts of iridium and rhodium may also be homogeneous exchange catalysts similar to the tetrachloroplatinite, but with much lower activities. Exchange by these homogeneous catalysts is frequently accompanied by metal precipitation with the termination of homogeneous exchange, particularly in the case of alkane exchange. The studies presented in this thesis describe two different approaches to overcome this limitation of homogeneous hydrogen isotope exchange catalysts. The first approach was to improve the stability of an existing homogeneous catalyst and the second was to develop a new homogeneous exchange catalyst which is free of the instability limitation

Nostalgia-Evoked Inspiration: Mediating Mechanisms and Motivational Implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephan, Elena; Sedikides, Constantine; Wildschut, Tim; Cheung, Wing-Yee; Routledge, Clay; Arndt, Jamie

2015-10-01

Six studies examined the nostalgia-inspiration link and its motivational implications. In Study 1, nostalgia proneness was positively associated with inspiration frequency and intensity. In Studies 2 and 3, the recollection of nostalgic (vs. ordinary) experiences increased both general inspiration and specific inspiration to engage in exploratory activities. In Study 4, serial mediational analyses supported a model in which nostalgia increases social connectedness, which subsequently fosters self-esteem, which then boosts inspiration. In Study 5, a rigorous evaluation of this serial mediational model (with a novel nostalgia induction controlling for positive affect) reinforced the idea that nostalgia-elicited social connectedness increases self-esteem, which then heightens inspiration. Study 6 extended the serial mediational model by demonstrating that nostalgia-evoked inspiration predicts goal pursuit (intentions to pursue an important goal). Nostalgia spawns inspiration via social connectedness and attendant self-esteem. In turn, nostalgia-evoked inspiration bolsters motivation. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Effect of inspiration on airway dimensions measured in maximal inspiration CT images of subjects without airflow limitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Jens; Wille, Mathilde M.W.; Raket, Lars Lau

2014-01-01

. Automated software was utilized to segment lungs and airways, identify segmental bronchi, and match airway branches in all images of the same subject. Inspiration level was defined as segmented total lung volume (TLV) divided by predicted total lung capacity (pTLC). Mixed-effects models were used to predict......OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of inspiration on airway dimensions measured in voluntary inspiration breath-hold examinations. METHODS: 961 subjects with normal spirometry were selected from the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial. Subjects were examined annually for five years with low-dose CT...... • The effect of inspiration is greater in higher-generation (more peripheral) airways • Airways of generation 5 and beyond are as distensible as lung parenchyma • Airway dimensions measured from CT should be adjusted for inspiration level....

Development and integration of a LabVIEW-based modular architecture for automated execution of electrochemical catalyst testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Topalov, Angel A; Katsounaros, Ioannis; Meier, Josef C; Klemm, Sebastian O; Mayrhofer, Karl J J

2011-11-01

This paper describes a system for performing electrochemical catalyst testing where all hardware components are controlled simultaneously using a single LabVIEW-based software application. The software that we developed can be operated in both manual mode for exploratory investigations and automatic mode for routine measurements, by using predefined execution procedures. The latter enables the execution of high-throughput or combinatorial investigations, which decrease substantially the time and cost for catalyst testing. The software was constructed using a modular architecture which simplifies the modification or extension of the system, depending on future needs. The system was tested by performing stability tests of commercial fuel cell electrocatalysts, and the advantages of the developed system are discussed. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Biologically inspired water purification through selective transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, E C; Soncini, R M; Weiland, L M

2013-01-01

Biologically inspired systems based on cellular mechanics demonstrate the ability to selectively transport ions across a bilayer membrane. These systems may be observed in nature in plant roots, which remove select nutrients from the surrounding soil against significant concentration gradients. Using biomimetic principles in the design of tailored active materials allows for the development of selective membranes for capturing and filtering targeted ions. Combining this biomimetic transport system with a method for reclaiming the captured ions will allow for increased removal potential. To illustrate this concept, a device for removing nutrients from waterways to aid in reducing eutrophication is outlined and discussed. Presented is a feasibility study of various cellular configurations designed for this purpose, focusing on maximizing nutrient uptake. The results enable a better understanding of the benefits and obstacles when developing these cellularly inspired systems. (paper)

Highly Dispersed Alloy Catalyst for Durability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murthi, Vivek S.; Izzo, Elise; Bi, Wu; Guerrero, Sandra; Protsailo, Lesia

2013-01-08

Achieving DOE's stated 5000-hr durability goal for light-duty vehicles by 2015 will require MEAs with characteristics that are beyond the current state of the art. Significant effort was placed on developing advanced durable cathode catalysts to arrive at the best possible electrode for high performance and durability, as well as developing manufacturing processes that yield significant cost benefit. Accordingly, the overall goal of this project was to develop and construct advanced MEAs that will improve performance and durability while reducing the cost of PEMFC stacks. The project, led by UTC Power, focused on developing new catalysts/supports and integrating them with existing materials (membranes and gas diffusion layers (GDLs)) using state-of-the-art fabrication methods capable of meeting the durability requirements essential for automotive applications. Specifically, the project work aimed to lower platinum group metals (PGM) loading while increasing performance and durability. Appropriate catalysts and MEA configuration were down-selected that protects the membrane, and the layers were tailored to optimize the movements of reactants and product water through the cell to maximize performance while maintaining durability.

Fish-inspired robots: design, sensing, actuation, and autonomy--a review of research.

Science.gov (United States)

Raj, Aditi; Thakur, Atul

2016-04-13

Underwater robot designs inspired by the behavior, physiology, and anatomy of fishes can provide enhanced maneuverability, stealth, and energy efficiency. Over the last two decades, robotics researchers have developed and reported a large variety of fish-inspired robot designs. The purpose of this review is to report different types of fish-inspired robot designs based upon their intended locomotion patterns. We present a detailed comparison of various design features like sensing, actuation, autonomy, waterproofing, and morphological structure of fish-inspired robots reported in the past decade. We believe that by studying the existing robots, future designers will be able to create new designs by adopting features from the successful robots. The review also summarizes the open research issues that need to be taken up for the further advancement of the field and also for the deployment of fish-inspired robots in practice.

Bio-inspired passive actuator simulating an abalone shell mechanism for structural control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Henry T Y; Lin, Chun-Hung; Bridges, Daniel; Randall, Connor J; Hansma, Paul K

2010-01-01

An energy dispersion mechanism called 'sacrificial bonds and hidden length', which is found in some biological systems, such as abalone shells and bones, is the inspiration for new strategies for structural control. Sacrificial bonds and hidden length can substantially increase the stiffness and enhance energy dissipation in the constituent molecules of abalone shells and bone. Having been inspired by the usefulness and effectiveness of such a mechanism, which has evolved over millions of years and countless cycles of evolutions, the authors employ the conceptual underpinnings of this mechanism to develop a bio-inspired passive actuator. This paper presents a fundamental method for optimally designing such bio-inspired passive actuators for structural control. To optimize the bio-inspired passive actuator, a simple method utilizing the force–displacement–velocity (FDV) plots based on LQR control is proposed. A linear regression approach is adopted in this research to find the initial values of the desired parameters for the bio-inspired passive actuator. The illustrative examples, conducted by numerical simulation with experimental validation, suggest that the bio-inspired passive actuator based on sacrificial bonds and hidden length may be comparable in performance to state-of-the-art semi-active actuators

Bio-inspired passive actuator simulating an abalone shell mechanism for structural control

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Henry T. Y.; Lin, Chun-Hung; Bridges, Daniel; Randall, Connor J.; Hansma, Paul K.

2010-10-01

An energy dispersion mechanism called 'sacrificial bonds and hidden length', which is found in some biological systems, such as abalone shells and bones, is the inspiration for new strategies for structural control. Sacrificial bonds and hidden length can substantially increase the stiffness and enhance energy dissipation in the constituent molecules of abalone shells and bone. Having been inspired by the usefulness and effectiveness of such a mechanism, which has evolved over millions of years and countless cycles of evolutions, the authors employ the conceptual underpinnings of this mechanism to develop a bio-inspired passive actuator. This paper presents a fundamental method for optimally designing such bio-inspired passive actuators for structural control. To optimize the bio-inspired passive actuator, a simple method utilizing the force-displacement-velocity (FDV) plots based on LQR control is proposed. A linear regression approach is adopted in this research to find the initial values of the desired parameters for the bio-inspired passive actuator. The illustrative examples, conducted by numerical simulation with experimental validation, suggest that the bio-inspired passive actuator based on sacrificial bonds and hidden length may be comparable in performance to state-of-the-art semi-active actuators.

Innovative Didactics in an International Internship - inspiration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lembcke, Steen; Skibsted, Else Bengaard; Mølgaard, Niels

An inspiration handbook for the international team from the teacher education programme in VIA. Aimed to assist internship supervisors and students during international internships in regards to innovation, social entrepreneurship and development of the international teacher. Introduces why and how...

Highly dispersed metal catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Xin; West, William L.; Rhodes, William D.

2016-11-08

A supported catalyst having an atomic level single atom structure is provided such that substantially all the catalyst is available for catalytic function. A process of forming a single atom catalyst unto a porous catalyst support is also provided.

Does Entrepreneurship Education in the First Year of Higher Education Develop Entrepreneurial Intentions? The Role of Learning and Inspiration

Science.gov (United States)

Nabi, Ghulam; Walmsley, Andreas; Liñán, Francisco; Akhtar, Imran; Neame, Charles

2018-01-01

Drawing on entrepreneurship education (EE) theory, this article examines the role of learning and inspiration in developing students' entrepreneurial intentions in the First Year in Higher Education. This addresses the paucity of research on early university experiences of EE and their influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Using a longitudinal…

Interaction between Nafion ionomer and noble metal catalyst for PEMFCs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Shuang Ma

The implement of polymer impregnation in electrode structure (catalyst layer) decreasing the noble metal catalyst loading by a factor of ten , , is one of the essential mile stones in the evolution of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells’ development among the application of catalyst support and e...

Shining X-rays on catalysts at work

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grunwaldt, J-D, E-mail: jdg@kt.dtu.d [Technical University of Denmark, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Building 229, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby (Denmark)

2009-11-15

Structure-performance relationships gained by studying catalysts at work are considered the key to further development of catalysts underlined here by a brief overview on our research in this area. The partial oxidation of methane to hydrogen and carbon monoxide over Pt- and Rh-based catalysts and the total combustion of hydrocarbons demonstrate the importance of structural identification of catalysts in its working state and the measurement of the catalytic performance at the same time. Moreover, proper cell design is a key both here and in liquid phase reactions including preparation or high pressure reactions. In several cases structural changes during preparation, activation and reaction occur on a subminute scale or the catalyst structure varies inside a reactor as a result of temperature or concentration gradients. This, additionally, requires time and spatial resolution. Examples from time-resolved QEXAFS studies during the partial oxidation of methane over Pt- and Rh-based catalysts demonstrate some of the recent developments of the technique (use not only of Si(111) but also Si(311) crystals, angular encoder, full EXAFS spectra at subsecond recording time, and modulation excitation spectroscopy). In order to obtain spectroscopic information on the oxidation state inside a microreactor, scanning and full field X-ray microscopy with X-ray absorption spectroscopic contrast were achieved under reaction conditions. If a microbeam is applied, fast scanning techniques like QEXAFS are required. In this way, even X-ray absorption spectroscopic tomographic images of a slice of a microreactor were obtained. The studies were recently extended to spatiotemporal studies that give important insight into the dynamics of the catalyst structure in a spatial manner with subsecond time-resolution.

Synthetic catalysts that separate CO.sub.2 from the atmosphere and gas mixtures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lightstone, Felice C; Wong, Sergio E; Lau, Edmond Y; Satcher, Jr., Joe H; Aines, Roger D

2015-02-24

The creation of a catalyst that can be used for a wide variety of applications including the steps of developing preliminary information regarding the catalyst, using the preliminary information to produce a template of the catalyst, and using the template of the catalyst to produce the catalyst.

Inspiring a generation

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

The motto of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is ‘Inspire a generation’ so it was particularly pleasing to see science, the LHC and Higgs bosons featuring so strongly in the opening ceremony of the Paralympics last week.   It’s a sign of just how far our field has come that such a high-profile event featured particle physics so strongly, and we can certainly add our support to that motto. If the legacy of London 2012 is a generation inspired by science as well as sport, then the games will have more than fulfilled their mission. Particle physics has truly inspiring stories to tell, going well beyond Higgs and the LHC, and the entire community has played its part in bringing the excitement of frontier research in particle physics to a wide audience. Nevertheless, we cannot rest on our laurels: maintaining the kind of enthusiasm for science we witnessed at the Paralympic opening ceremony will require constant vigilance, and creative thinking about ways to rea...

Natural Inspired Intelligent Visual Computing and Its Application to Viticulture.

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, Li Minn; Seng, Kah Phooi; Ge, Feng Lu

2017-05-23

This paper presents an investigation of natural inspired intelligent computing and its corresponding application towards visual information processing systems for viticulture. The paper has three contributions: (1) a review of visual information processing applications for viticulture; (2) the development of natural inspired computing algorithms based on artificial immune system (AIS) techniques for grape berry detection; and (3) the application of the developed algorithms towards real-world grape berry images captured in natural conditions from vineyards in Australia. The AIS algorithms in (2) were developed based on a nature-inspired clonal selection algorithm (CSA) which is able to detect the arcs in the berry images with precision, based on a fitness model. The arcs detected are then extended to perform the multiple arcs and ring detectors information processing for the berry detection application. The performance of the developed algorithms were compared with traditional image processing algorithms like the circular Hough transform (CHT) and other well-known circle detection methods. The proposed AIS approach gave a Fscore of 0.71 compared with Fscores of 0.28 and 0.30 for the CHT and a parameter-free circle detection technique (RPCD) respectively.

Effect of coke and catalyst structure on oxidative regeneration of hydroprocessing catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furimsky, E. (CANMET, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Energy Research Laboratories)

1991-04-01

Two industrial hydroprocessing catalysts used for upgrading an atmospheric residue and a gas oil, respectively were regenerated in a fixed bed using air and 2 vol.% O{sub 2}+N{sub 2} balance mixture. The regeneration in air resulted in a significant sintering of the catalyst's material. The surface area of catalysts regenerated in 2 vol.% O{sub 2} mixture was similar to that of fresh catalysts, whereas a significant loss of surface area was observed after regeneration in air. The X-ray diffraction pattern of catalysts regenerated in 2 vol.% O{sub 2}+N{sub 2} balance mixture was also similar to that of fresh catalysts. 22 refs., 9 figs., 7 tabs.

Sustainable Utility of Magnetically Recyclable Nano-Catalysts in Water: Applications in Organic Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoj B. Gawande

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Magnetically recyclable nano-catalysts and their use in aqueous media is a perfect combination for the development of greener sustainable methodologies in organic synthesis. It is well established that magnetically separable nano-catalysts avoid waste of catalysts or reagents and it is possible to recover >95% of catalysts, which is again recyclable for subsequent use. Water is the ideal medium to perform the chemical reactions with magnetically recyclable nano-catalysts, as this combination adds tremendous value to the overall benign reaction process development. In this review, we highlight recent developments inthe use of water and magnetically recyclable nano-catalysts (W-MRNs for a variety of organic reactions namely hydrogenation, condensation, oxidation, and Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling reactions, among others.

Towards the computational design of solid catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørskov, Jens Kehlet; Bligaard, Thomas; Rossmeisl, Jan

2009-01-01

Over the past decade the theoretical description of surface reactions has undergone a radical development. Advances in density functional theory mean it is now possible to describe catalytic reactions at surfaces with the detail and accuracy required for computational results to compare favourably...... with experiments. Theoretical methods can be used to describe surface chemical reactions in detail and to understand variations in catalytic activity from one catalyst to another. Here, we review the first steps towards using computational methods to design new catalysts. Examples include screening for catalysts...

La maturità di INSPIRE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauro Salvemini

2010-03-01

Full Text Available INPIRE's maturityThe INSPIRE Conference 2010 took place from 23 to 25 June 2010 in Kraków, Poland. On 22 June pre-conference workshops have been organized. The theme of this year’s edition has been "INSPIRE as a Framework for Cooperation".The INSPIRE Conference has been organised through a series of plenary sessions addressing common policy issues, and parallel sessions focusing in particular on applications and implementations of SDIs, research issues and new and evolvingtechnologies and applications and poster presentations.

A bio-inspired hair- based acceleration sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Droogendijk, H.

Crickets use so-called clavate hairs to sense (gravitational) acceleration to obtain information on their orientation. Inspired by this clavate hair system, a one-axis biomimetic accelerometer has been developed and fabricated using surface micromachining and SU- 8 lithography. Measu- rements show

Development of Ni-Based Catalysts Derived from Hydrotalcite-Like Compounds Precursors for Synthesis Gas Production via Methane or Ethanol Reforming

OpenAIRE

Ya-Li Du; Xu Wu; Qiang Cheng; Yan-Li Huang; Wei Huang

2017-01-01

As a favorably clean fuel, syngas (synthesis gas) production has been the focus of concern in past decades. Substantial literatures reported the syngas production by various catalytic reforming reactions particularly in methane or ethanol reforming. Among the developed catalysts in these reforming processes, Ni-based catalysts from hydrotalcite-like compounds (HTLcs) precursors have drawn considerable attention for their preferable structural traits. This review covers the recent literature r...

Nature-inspired optimization algorithms

CERN Document Server

Yang, Xin-She

2014-01-01

Nature-Inspired Optimization Algorithms provides a systematic introduction to all major nature-inspired algorithms for optimization. The book's unified approach, balancing algorithm introduction, theoretical background and practical implementation, complements extensive literature with well-chosen case studies to illustrate how these algorithms work. Topics include particle swarm optimization, ant and bee algorithms, simulated annealing, cuckoo search, firefly algorithm, bat algorithm, flower algorithm, harmony search, algorithm analysis, constraint handling, hybrid methods, parameter tuning

INSPIRE: a new scientific information system for HEP

CERN Document Server

Ivanov, R; CERN. Geneva. IT Department

2010-01-01

The status of high-energy physics (HEP) information systems has been jointly analyzed by the libraries of CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC. As a result, the four laboratories have started the INSPIRE project – a new platform built by moving the successful SPIRES features and content, curated at DESY, Fermilab and SLAC, into the open-source CDS Invenio digital library software that was developed at CERN. INSPIRE will integrate current acquisition workflows and databases to host the entire body of the HEP literature (about one million records), aiming to become the reference HEP scientific information platform worldwide. It will provide users with fast access to full text journal articles and preprints, but also material such as conference slides and multimedia. INSPIRE will empower scientists with new tools to discover and access the results most relevant to their research, enable novel text- and data-mining applications, and deploy new metrics to assess the impact of articles and authors. In addition, it will ...

INSPIRE: a new scientific information system for HEP

CERN Multimedia

Ivanov, R

2009-01-01

The status of high-energy physics (HEP) information systems has been jointly analyzed by the libraries of CERN, DESY, Fermilab and SLAC. As a result, the four laboratories have started the INSPIRE project – a new platform built by moving the successful SPIRES features and content, curated at DESY, Fermilab and SLAC, into the open-source CDS Invenio digital library software that was developed at CERN. INSPIRE will integrate present acquisition workflows and databases to host the entire body of the HEP literature (about one million records), aiming to become the reference HEP scientific information platform worldwide. It will provide users with fast access to full-text journal articles and preprints, but also material such as conference slides and multimedia. INSPIRE will empower scientists with new tools to discover and access the results most relevant to their research, enable novel text- and data-mining applications, and deploy new metrics to assess the impact of articles and authors. In addition, it will ...

Noble metal catalysts in the production of biofuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutierrez, A.

2013-11-01

The energy demand is increasing in the world together with the need to ensure energy security and the desire to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. While several renewable alternatives are available for the production of electricity, e.g. solar energy, wind power, and hydrogen, biomass is the only renewable source that can meet the demand for carbon-based liquid fuels and chemicals. The technology applied in the conversion of biomass depends on the type and complexity of the biomass, and the desired fuel. Hydrogen and hydrogen-rich mixtures (synthesis gas) are promising energy sources as they are more efficient and cleaner than existing fuels, especially when they are used in fuel cells. Hydrotreatment is a catalytic process that can be used in the conversion of biomass or biomass-derived liquids into fuels. In autothermal reforming (ATR), catalysts are used in the production of hydrogen-rich mixtures from conventional fuels or bio-fuels. The different nature of biomass and biomass-derived liquids and mineral oil makes the use of catalysts developed for the petroleum industry challenging. This requires the improvement of available catalysts and the development of new ones. To overcome the limitations of conventional hydrotreatment and ATR catalysts, zirconia-supported mono- and bimetallic rhodium, palladium, and platinum catalysts were developed and tested in the upgrading of model compounds for wood-based pyrolysis oil and in the production of hydrogen, using model compounds for gasoline and diesel. Catalysts were also tested in the ATR of ethanol. For comparative purposes commercial catalysts were tested and the results obtained with model compounds were compared with those obtained with real feedstocks (hydrotreatmet tests with wood-based pyrolysis oil and ATR tests with NExBTL renewable diesel). Noble metal catalysts were active and selective in the hydrotreatment of guaiacol used as the model compound for the lignin fraction of wood-based pyrolysis oil and wood

Supported catalyst systems and method of making biodiesel products using such catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Manhoe; Yan, Shuli; Salley, Steven O.; Ng, K. Y. Simon

2015-10-20

A heterogeneous catalyst system, a method of preparing the catalyst system and a method of forming a biodiesel product via transesterification reactions using the catalyst system is disclosed. The catalyst system according to one aspect of the present disclosure represents a class of supported mixed metal oxides that include at least calcium oxide and another metal oxide deposited on a lanthanum oxide or cerium oxide support. Preferably, the catalysts include CaO--CeO.sub.2ZLa.sub.2O.sub.3 or CaO--La.sub.2O.sub.3/CeO.sub.2. Optionally, the catalyst may further include additional metal oxides, such as CaO--La.sub.2O.sub.3--GdOxZLa.sub.2O.sub.3.

4th International Conference on Innovations in Bio-Inspired Computing and Applications

CERN Document Server

Krömer, Pavel; Snášel, Václav

2014-01-01

This volume of Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing contains accepted papers presented at IBICA2013, the 4th International Conference on Innovations in Bio-inspired Computing and Applications. The aim of IBICA 2013 was to provide a platform for world research leaders and practitioners, to discuss the full spectrum of current theoretical developments, emerging technologies, and innovative applications of Bio-inspired Computing. Bio-inspired Computing is currently one of the most exciting research areas, and it is continuously demonstrating exceptional strength in solving complex real life problems. The main driving force of the conference is to further explore the intriguing potential of Bio-inspired Computing. IBICA 2013 was held in Ostrava, Czech Republic and hosted by the VSB - Technical University of Ostrava.

Bifunctional catalysts for the direct production of liquid fuels from syngas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sartipi, S.

2014-01-01

Design and development of catalyst formulations that maximize the direct production of liquid fuels by combining Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS), hydrocarbon cracking, and isomerization into one single catalyst particle (bifunctional FTS catalyst) have been investigated in this thesis. To achieve

High-throughput heterogeneous catalyst research

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Howard W.; Volpe, Anthony F., Jr.; Weinberg, W. H.

2009-06-01

With the discovery of abundant and low cost crude oil in the early 1900's came the need to create efficient conversion processes to produce low cost fuels and basic chemicals. Enormous investment over the last century has led to the development of a set of highly efficient catalytic processes which define the modern oil refinery and which produce most of the raw materials and fuels used in modern society. Process evolution and development has led to a refining infrastructure that is both dominated and enabled by modern heterogeneous catalyst technologies. Refineries and chemical manufacturers are currently under intense pressure to improve efficiency, adapt to increasingly disadvantaged feedstocks including biomass, lower their environmental footprint, and continue to deliver their products at low cost. This pressure creates a demand for new and more robust catalyst systems and processes that can accommodate them. Traditional methods of catalyst synthesis and testing are slow and inefficient, particularly in heterogeneous systems where the structure of the active sites is typically complex and the reaction mechanism is at best ill-defined. While theoretical modeling and a growing understanding of fundamental surface science help guide the chemist in designing and synthesizing targets, even in the most well understood areas of catalysis, the parameter space that one needs to explore experimentally is vast. The result is that the chemist using traditional methods must navigate a complex and unpredictable diversity space with a limited data set to make discoveries or to optimize known systems. We describe here a mature set of synthesis and screening technologies that together form a workflow that breaks this traditional paradigm and allows for rapid and efficient heterogeneous catalyst discovery and optimization. We exemplify the power of these new technologies by describing their use in the development and commercialization of a novel catalyst for the

Brain-inspired algorithms for retinal image analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ter Haar Romeny, B.M.; Bekkers, E.J.; Zhang, J.; Abbasi-Sureshjani, S.; Huang, F.; Duits, R.; Dasht Bozorg, Behdad; Berendschot, T.T.J.M.; Smit-Ockeloen, I.; Eppenhof, K.A.J.; Feng, J.; Hannink, J.; Schouten, J.; Tong, M.; Wu, H.; van Triest, J.W.; Zhu, S.; Chen, D.; He, W.; Xu, L.; Han, P.; Kang, Y.

2016-01-01

Retinal image analysis is a challenging problem due to the precise quantification required and the huge numbers of images produced in screening programs. This paper describes a series of innovative brain-inspired algorithms for automated retinal image analysis, recently developed for the RetinaCheck

Optimization of fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies for transition metal ion-chelating ordered mesoporous carbon cathode catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johanna K. Dombrovskis

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Transition metal ion-chelating ordered mesoporous carbon (TM-OMC materials were recently shown to be efficient polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC catalysts. The structure and properties of these catalysts are largely different from conventional catalyst materials, thus rendering membrane electrode assembly (MEA preparation parameters developed for conventional catalysts not useful for applications of TM-OMC catalysts. This necessitates development of a methodology to incorporate TM-OMC catalysts in the MEA. Here, an efficient method for MEA preparation using TM-OMC catalyst materials for PEMFC is developed including effects of catalyst/ionomer loading and catalyst/ionomer-mixing and application procedures. An optimized protocol for MEA preparation using TM-OMC catalysts is described.

Pt Nanostructures/N-Doped Carbon hybrid, an Efficient Catalyst for Hydrogen Evolution/Oxidation Reactions: Enhancing its Base Media Activity through Bifunctionality of the Catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Barman, Sudip; Kundu, Manas; Bhowmik, Tanmay; Mishra, Ranjit

2018-06-04

Design and synthesis of active catalyst for HER/HOR are important for the development of hydrogen based renewable technologies. We report synthesis of Pt nanostructures-N-doped carbon hybrid (Pt-(PtO2)-NSs/C) for HER/HOR applications. The HER activity of this Pt-(PtOx)-NSs/C catalyst is 4 and 6.5 times better than commercial Pt/C in acid and base. The catalyst exhibits a current density of 10 mA/cm2 at overpotentials of 5 and 51 mV with tafel slopes of 29 and 64mV/dec in in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 0.5 M KOH. This catalyst also showed superior HOR activity at all pH values. The HER/HOR activity of Pt-(PtOx)-NSs/C and PtOx-free Pt-Nanostructures/C (PtNSs/C) catalysts are comparable in acid. The presence of PtOx in Pt-(PtOx)-NSs/C makes this Pt-catalyst more HER/HOR active in base media. The activity of Pt-(PtOx)NSs/C catalyst is 5 fold higher than that of PtNSs/C catalyst in basic medium although their activity is comparable in acid. Hydrogen binding energy and oxophilicity are the two equivalent descriptors for HER/HOR in basic media. We propose a bi-functional mechanism for the enhanced alkaline HER/HOR activity of Pt(PtOx)-NSs/C catalyst. In bi-functional Pt-(PtOx)-NSs/C catalyst, PtOx provide an active site for OH- adsorption to form OHads which reacts with hydrogen intermediate (Hads), present at neighbouring Pt sites to form H2O leading to enhancement of HOR activity in basic medium This work may provide opportunity to develop catalysts for various renewable energy technologies. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

How Agile Methods Inspire Project Management - The Half Double Initiative

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heeager, Lise Tordrup; Svejvig, Per; Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup

Increased complexity in projects has forced new project management initiatives. In software development several agile methods have emerged and are today highly implemented in practice. Observations of general project management practice show how it has been inspired by agile software development......, but very little research addresses the issue of agile project management. In order to understand and to provide suggestions for future practice on how agility can be incorporated in general project management, this paper provides an analysis which compares ten characteristics of agile software development...... (identified in theory) and the Half Double Methodology developed by the Danish Project Half Double initiative; a Methodology developed with practitioners and tested in seven Danish case companies. The analysis shows how the general project management to a great extent has been inspired by agile methods...

Norsk inspiration til uddannelse og job

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovhus, Randi Boelskifte; Thomsen, Rie; Buhl, Rita

2017-01-01

Anmeldelse af bog om det norske fag Utdanningsvalg - inspiration til arbejde med uddannelse og job......Anmeldelse af bog om det norske fag Utdanningsvalg - inspiration til arbejde med uddannelse og job...

Feeling Is Believing: Inspiration Encourages Belief in God.

Science.gov (United States)

Critcher, Clayton R; Lee, Chan Jean

2018-05-01

Even without direct evidence of God's existence, about half of the world's population believes in God. Although previous research has found that people arrive at such beliefs intuitively instead of analytically, relatively little research has aimed to understand what experiences encourage or legitimate theistic belief systems. Using cross-cultural correlational and experimental methods, we investigated whether the experience of inspiration encourages a belief in God. Participants who dispositionally experience more inspiration, were randomly assigned to relive or have an inspirational experience, or reported such experiences to be more inspirational all showed stronger belief in God. These effects were specific to inspiration (instead of adjacent affective experiences) and a belief in God (instead of other empirically unverifiable claims). Being inspired by someone or something (but not inspired to do something) offers a spiritually transcendent experience that elevates belief in God, in part because it makes people feel connected to something beyond themselves.

High-Throughput Screening as a Supplemental Tool for the Development of Advanced Emission Control Catalysts: Methodological Approaches and Data Processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Sundermann

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A high-throughput (HT screening platform developed at hte with the application focus on automotive catalysis is described. hte HT units are configured for performing steady-state testing, as well as dynamic tests with fast feed switches, such as lean/rich excursions for the evaluation of NOx storage capacity and efficiency of lean NOx traps (LNT, ammonia storage capacity for selective catalytic reduction (SCR, evaluation of oxygen storage capacity (OSC, as well as lambda sweep tests for screening of three-way catalysts (TWC. Even though catalysts are screened on a rather small scale (~100 mg powder, experience showed that dosing rather complex gas mixtures in concentrations close to that found in real exhaust for the given application is mandatory to generate relevant data. The objective of this work is to give additional insight into HT technology. In the industrial research laboratory, HT screening has matured to become a reliable approach for rapid screening of both reaction parameter spaces, as well as material properties relevant for exhaust gas catalyst development. Due to the speed of optimized screening involving 48 parallel reactors, automated handling of primary data is an imported requirement. Software for data reduction, like estimation of light-off temperature, needs to be robust and handle results for diverse sample libraries in an unattended fashion. In combination with the statistical design of experiment and multivariate data analysis, HT testing has become a valuable enhancement to automotive catalyst development.

Development and Comparison of the Substrate Scope of Pd-Catalysts for the Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Mitchell J.; Hamilton, Steven S.; Jensen, David R.; Sigman, Matthew S.

2009-01-01

Three catalysts for aerobic oxidation of alcohols are discussed and the effectiveness of each is evaluated for allylic, benzylic, aliphatic, and functionalized alcohols. Additionally, chiral nonracemic substrates as well as chemoselective and diastereoselective oxidations are investigated. In this study, the most convenient system for the Pd-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of alcohols is Pd(OAc)2 in combination with triethylamine. This system functions effectively for the majority of alcohols tested and uses mild conditions (3 to 5 mol % of catalyst, room temperature). Pd(IiPr)(OAc)2(H2O) (1) also successfully oxidizes the majority of alcohols evaluated. This system has the advantage of significantly lowering catalyst loadings but requires higher temperatures (0.1 to 1 mol % of catalyst, 60 °C). A new catalyst is also disclosed, Pd(IiPr)(OPiv)2 (2). This catalyst operates under very mild conditions (1 mol %, room temperature, and air as the O2 source) but with a more limited substrate scope. PMID:15844968

Nature-Inspired Structural Materials for Flexible Electronic Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yaqing; He, Ke; Chen, Geng; Leow, Wan Ru; Chen, Xiaodong

2017-10-25

Exciting advancements have been made in the field of flexible electronic devices in the last two decades and will certainly lead to a revolution in peoples' lives in the future. However, because of the poor sustainability of the active materials in complex stress environments, new requirements have been adopted for the construction of flexible devices. Thus, hierarchical architectures in natural materials, which have developed various environment-adapted structures and materials through natural selection, can serve as guides to solve the limitations of materials and engineering techniques. This review covers the smart designs of structural materials inspired by natural materials and their utility in the construction of flexible devices. First, we summarize structural materials that accommodate mechanical deformations, which is the fundamental requirement for flexible devices to work properly in complex environments. Second, we discuss the functionalities of flexible devices induced by nature-inspired structural materials, including mechanical sensing, energy harvesting, physically interacting, and so on. Finally, we provide a perspective on newly developed structural materials and their potential applications in future flexible devices, as well as frontier strategies for biomimetic functions. These analyses and summaries are valuable for a systematic understanding of structural materials in electronic devices and will serve as inspirations for smart designs in flexible electronics.

Pedagogical Catalysts of Civic Competence: The Development of a Critical Epistemological Model for Community-Based Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Stokamer, Stephanie

2013-01-01

Democratic problem-solving necessitates an active and informed citizenry, but existing research on service-learning has shed little light on the relationship between pedagogical practices and civic competence outcomes. This study developed and tested a model to represent that relationship and identified pedagogical catalysts of civic competence…

Micelle-derived catalysts for extended Schulz-Flory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abrevaya, H.

1986-01-01

The objective of this program is to develop a synthesis gas conversion catalyst with higher selectivity to liquid fuels, while maintaining catalytic activity and stability at least equivalent relative to state-of-the-art precipitated iron catalysts. During this quarter, the emphasis in the program has been the investigation of the hydrocarbon cutoff hypothesis with supported ruthenium catalysts. An alumina-supported catalyst with smaller than 20[Angstrom] ruthenium particles was tested under conditions of maximal water gas shift activity. During this test more than 90% of the water made in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis reaction was converted to H[sub 2]. However, the extent of ruthenium metal agglomeration was not reduced. Accordingly, it was not possible to conclude whether hydrocarbon cutoff occurs with smaller than 20[Angstrom] ruthenium particles on [gamma]-alumina. A ruthenium catalyst prepared on Y-type zeolite had 20[Angstrom] or smaller ruthenium particles according to STEM examination and a 15[Angstrom] average ruthenium metal particle size according to EXAFS examination. The ruthenium metal particle size was stable during the test with this catalyst. The hydrocarbon product distribution was Anderson-Schulz-Flory with no cutoff up to a carbon number of 160. A well-dispersed titania-supported ruthenium catalyst is going to be evaluated during the next quarter in order to determine whether hydrocarbon cutoff occurs.

Method of Heating a Foam-Based Catalyst Bed

Science.gov (United States)

Fortini, Arthur J.; Williams, Brian E.; McNeal, Shawn R.

2009-01-01

A method of heating a foam-based catalyst bed has been developed using silicon carbide as the catalyst support due to its readily accessible, high surface area that is oxidation-resistant and is electrically conductive. The foam support may be resistively heated by passing an electric current through it. This allows the catalyst bed to be heated directly, requiring less power to reach the desired temperature more quickly. Designed for heterogeneous catalysis, the method can be used by the petrochemical, chemical processing, and power-generating industries, as well as automotive catalytic converters. Catalyst beds must be heated to a light-off temperature before they catalyze the desired reactions. This typically is done by heating the assembly that contains the catalyst bed, which results in much of the power being wasted and/or lost to the surrounding environment. The catalyst bed is heated indirectly, thus requiring excessive power. With the electrically heated catalyst bed, virtually all of the power is used to heat the support, and only a small fraction is lost to the surroundings. Although the light-off temperature of most catalysts is only a few hundred degrees Celsius, the electrically heated foam is able to achieve temperatures of 1,200 C. Lower temperatures are achievable by supplying less electrical power to the foam. Furthermore, because of the foam s open-cell structure, the catalyst can be applied either directly to the foam ligaments or in the form of a catalyst- containing washcoat. This innovation would be very useful for heterogeneous catalysis where elevated temperatures are needed to drive the reaction.

3d-4f {Co(II)3Ln(OR)4} Cubanes as Bio-Inspired Water Oxidation Catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelisti, Fabio; Moré, René; Hodel, Florian; Luber, Sandra; Patzke, Greta Ricarda

2015-09-02

Although the {CaMn4O5} oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of photosystem II is a major paradigm for water oxidation catalyst (WOC) development, the comprehensive translation of its key features into active molecular WOCs remains challenging. The [Co(II)3Ln(hmp)4(OAc)5H2O] ({Co(II)3Ln(OR)4}; Ln = Ho-Yb, hmp = 2-(hydroxymethyl)pyridine) cubane WOC series is introduced as a new springboard to address crucial design parameters, ranging from nuclearity and redox-inactive promoters to operational stability and ligand exchange properties. The {Co(II)3Ln(OR)4} cubanes promote bioinspired WOC design by newly combining Ln(3+) centers as redox-inactive Ca(2+) analogues with flexible aqua-/acetate ligands into active and stable WOCs (max. TON/TOF values of 211/9 s(-1)). Furthermore, they open up the important family of 3d-4f complexes for photocatalytic applications. The stability of the {Co(II)3Ln(OR)4} WOCs under photocatalytic conditions is demonstrated with a comprehensive analytical strategy including trace metal analyses and solution-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) investigations. The productive influence of the Ln(3+) centers is linked to favorable ligand mobility, and the experimental trends are substantiated with Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics studies.

Skin-Inspired Electronics: An Emerging Paradigm.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Sihong; Oh, Jin Young; Xu, Jie; Tran, Helen; Bao, Zhenan

2018-05-15

Future electronics will take on more important roles in people's lives. They need to allow more intimate contact with human beings to enable advanced health monitoring, disease detection, medical therapies, and human-machine interfacing. However, current electronics are rigid, nondegradable and cannot self-repair, while the human body is soft, dynamic, stretchable, biodegradable, and self-healing. Therefore, it is critical to develop a new class of electronic materials that incorporate skinlike properties, including stretchability for conformable integration, minimal discomfort and suppressed invasive reactions; self-healing for long-term durability under harsh mechanical conditions; and biodegradability for reducing environmental impact and obviating the need for secondary device removal for medical implants. These demands have fueled the development of a new generation of electronic materials, primarily composed of polymers and polymer composites with both high electrical performance and skinlike properties, and consequently led to a new paradigm of electronics, termed "skin-inspired electronics". This Account covers recent important advances in skin-inspired electronics, from basic material developments to device components and proof-of-concept demonstrations for integrated bioelectronics applications. To date, stretchability has been the most prominent focus in this field. In contrast to strain-engineering approaches that extrinsically impart stretchability into inorganic electronics, intrinsically stretchable materials provide a direct route to achieve higher mechanical robustness, higher device density, and scalable fabrication. The key is the introduction of strain-dissipation mechanisms into the material design, which has been realized through molecular engineering (e.g., soft molecular segments, dynamic bonds) and physical engineering (e.g., nanoconfinement effect, geometric design). The material design concepts have led to the successful demonstrations of

Bio-inspired algorithms applied to molecular docking simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Heberlé, G; de Azevedo, W F

2011-01-01

Nature as a source of inspiration has been shown to have a great beneficial impact on the development of new computational methodologies. In this scenario, analyses of the interactions between a protein target and a ligand can be simulated by biologically inspired algorithms (BIAs). These algorithms mimic biological systems to create new paradigms for computation, such as neural networks, evolutionary computing, and swarm intelligence. This review provides a description of the main concepts behind BIAs applied to molecular docking simulations. Special attention is devoted to evolutionary algorithms, guided-directed evolutionary algorithms, and Lamarckian genetic algorithms. Recent applications of these methodologies to protein targets identified in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis genome are described.

Material requirements for bio-inspired sensing systems

Science.gov (United States)

Biggins, Peter; Lloyd, Peter; Salmond, David; Kusterbeck, Anne

2008-10-01

The aim of developing bio-inspired sensing systems is to try and emulate the amazing sensitivity and specificity observed in the natural world. These capabilities have evolved, often for specific tasks, which provide the organism with an advantage in its fight to survive and prosper. Capabilities cover a wide range of sensing functions including vision, temperature, hearing, touch, taste and smell. For some functions, the capabilities of natural systems are still greater than that achieved by traditional engineering solutions; a good example being a dog's sense of smell. Furthermore, attempting to emulate aspects of biological optics, processing and guidance may lead to more simple and effective devices. A bio-inspired sensing system is much more than the sensory mechanism. A system will need to collect samples, especially if pathogens or chemicals are of interest. Other functions could include the provision of power, surfaces and receptors, structure, locomotion and control. In fact it is possible to conceive of a complete bio-inspired system concept which is likely to be radically different from more conventional approaches. This concept will be described and individual component technologies considered.

Magnesium oxide prepared via metal-chitosan complexation method: Application as catalyst for transesterification of soybean oil and catalyst deactivation studies

Science.gov (United States)

Almerindo, Gizelle I.; Probst, Luiz F. D.; Campos, Carlos E. M.; de Almeida, Rusiene M.; Meneghetti, Simoni M. P.; Meneghetti, Mario R.; Clacens, Jean-Marc; Fajardo, Humberto V.

2011-10-01

A simple method to prepare magnesium oxide catalysts for biodiesel production by transesterification reaction of soybean oil with ethanol is proposed. The method was developed using a metal-chitosan complex. Compared to the commercial oxide, the proposed catalysts displayed higher surface area and basicity values, leading to higher yield in terms of fatty acid ethyl esters (biodiesel). The deactivation of the catalyst due to contact with CO2 and H2O present in the ambient air was verified. It was confirmed that the active catalytic site is a hydrogenocarbonate adsorption site.

Methods of making textured catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Werpy, Todd [West Richland, WA; Frye, Jr., John G.; Wang, Yong [Richland, WA; Zacher, Alan H [Kennewick, WA

2010-08-17

A textured catalyst having a hydrothermally-stable support, a metal oxide and a catalyst component is described. Methods of conducting aqueous phase reactions that are catalyzed by a textured catalyst are also described. The invention also provides methods of making textured catalysts and methods of making chemical products using a textured catalyst.

Metal-Organic-Framework mediated supported-cobalt catalysts in multiphase hydrogenation reactions

OpenAIRE

Sun, X.

2017-01-01

The production of most industrially important chemicals involves catalysis. Depending on the difference in phases between the catalysts and reactants, one distinguishes homogenous catalysis and heterogeneous catalysis, with the latter being more attractive in real applications, due to the easy separation of products from catalysts and reusing the latter. In spite of the research and development of heterogeneous catalysts for decades, the exploration for catalysts system with outstanding activ...

The development of musical skills of underprivileged children over the course of one year: A study in the context of an El Sistema-inspired program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beatriz Senoi Ilari

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Developmental research in music has typically centered on the study of single musical skills (e.g., singing, listening and has been conducted with middle class children who learn music in schools and conservatories. Information on the musical development of children from different social strata, who are enrolled in community-based music programs remains elusive. This study examined the development of musical skills in underprivileged children who were attending an El Sistema-inspired program in Los Angeles. We investigated how children, predominantly of Latino ethnicity, developed musically with respect to the following musical skills – pitch and rhythmic discrimination, pitch matching, singing a song from memory, and rhythmic entrainment – over the course of one year. Results suggested that participation in an El Sistema-inspired program affects children’s musical development in distinct ways; with pitch perception and production skills developing faster than rhythmic skills. Furthermore, children from the same ethnic and social background, who did not participate in the El Sistema-inspired music program, showed a decline in singing and pitch discrimination skills over the course of one year. Taken together, these results are consistent with the idea of musical development as a complex, spiraling and recursive process that is influenced by several factors including type of musical training. Implications for future research are outlined.

The Development of Musical Skills of Underprivileged Children Over the Course of 1 Year: A Study in the Context of an El Sistema-Inspired Program

Science.gov (United States)

Ilari, Beatriz S.; Keller, Patrick; Damasio, Hanna; Habibi, Assal

2016-01-01

Developmental research in music has typically centered on the study of single musical skills (e.g., singing, listening) and has been conducted with middle class children who learn music in schools and conservatories. Information on the musical development of children from different social strata, who are enrolled in community-based music programs, remains elusive. This study examined the development of musical skills in underprivileged children who were attending an El Sistema-inspired program in Los Angeles. We investigated how children, predominantly of Latino ethnicity, developed musically with respect to the following musical skills – pitch and rhythmic discrimination, pitch matching, singing a song from memory, and rhythmic entrainment – over the course of 1 year. Results suggested that participation in an El Sistema-inspired program affects children’s musical development in distinct ways; with pitch perception and production skills developing faster than rhythmic skills. Furthermore, children from the same ethnic and social background, who did not participate in the El Sistema-inspired music program, showed a decline in singing and pitch discrimination skills over the course of 1 year. Taken together, these results are consistent with the idea of musical development as a complex, spiraling and recursive process that is influenced by several factors including type of musical training. Implications for future research are outlined. PMID:26869964

Report on surveys in fiscal 1999 on research and development of the environment harmonizing catalyst technology; 1999 nendo kankyo chowagata shokubai gijutsu no kenkyu kaihatsu chosa hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

This paper reports the surveys in fiscal 1999 on research and development of the environment harmonizing catalyst technology. The discussion subjects taken up included suppression of discharge of carbon dioxide, catalysts used when manufacturing hydrogen and technology thereof, and environment purifying catalysts to decompose harmful substances, and technology thereof. The roles of catalysts and their technologies are expected in reducing the reforming temperatures, achieving energy saving, and reducing decomposition energy. Furthermore, the catalysts are expected of high activity, long life and low cost. Three themes were selected from the emergency and importance points of view. The themes are, in the consumer field, research and development of efficiency improvement in membrane reactors for reforming low-grade hydrocarbons to structure a technology to manufacture hydrogen for small-size portable fuel cells; and in the industrial field, development of hydrogen and carbon product manufacturing technologies with which CO2 generation is suppressed by means of the catalytic decomposition process. In practice, for such discharged harmful substances as dioxins, PCB and volatile organic compounds (VOC), treating them is the urgent environmental problem, and therefore, the fundamental research was taken up for practical application of the second-generation catalysts of the ultra-violet light and visible light responding type. (NEDO)

Fiscal 2000 achievement report. Environment-conscious industrial technology research and development project (Development of environmentally-friendly catalyst technology); 2000 nendo kankyo chowagata shokubai gijutsu kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-03-01

Research and development and basic studies were conducted about novel catalysts which would help reduce impact on global environments. The efforts involved the development of (1) photocatalysts and (2) selective oxidation catalysts. In domain (1), a silicon semiconductor was manufactured for an integrated hydrogen generation catalytic membrane/silicon semiconductor/oxygen generation membrane system as a hybrid multilayer photocatalyst, and a fundamental one-layer type was fabricated. As for a system using a compound semiconductor CIGS (Cu(InGa)Se{sub 2})/CdS membrane, a CIGS membrane was completed, and CdS was deposited in layers to support platinum and it was found that water was decomposed under visible light irradiation although the bias voltage load was slight. In domain (2), the methanol and formaldehyde formation rates greatly increased when some MgO powder was installed in the reaction space in the vapor phase selective oxidation of methane in the presence of a catalyst which was a very small amount of nitrogen dioxide. (NEDO)

EXAFS characterization of supported metal catalysts in chemically dynamic environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robota, H.J.

1991-01-01

Characterization of catalysts focuses on the identification of an active site responsible for accelerating desirable chemical reactions. The identification, characterization, and selective modification of such sites is fundamental to the development of structure-function relationships. Unfortunately, this goal is far from realized in nearly all catalysts, and particularly in catalysts comprised of small supported metal particles. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) has had a dramatic effect on our understanding of supported metal particles in their resting state. However, the performance of a catalyst can not be assessed from such simple resting state measurements. Among the factors which influence catalyst performance are the exact catalyst composition, including the support and any modifiers; particle size; catalyst finishing and pretreatment conditions; pressure, composition, and temperature of the operating environment; time. Gaining an understanding of how the structure of a catalytic site can change with such an array of variables requires that we begin to develop measurement methods which are effective under chemically dynamic conditions. Ideally, it should be possible to obtain a full X-ray absorption spectrum of each element thought to have a causal relationship with observed catalyst properties. From these spectra, we can optimally extract only a relatively limited amount of information which we must then piece together with information derived from other characterization methods and intuition to arrive at a hypothetical structure of the operating catalyst. Information about crystallinity, homogeneity, and general disorder can be obtained from the Debye-Waller factor. Finally, through analogy with known compounds, the electronic structure of the active atoms can be inferred from near edge absorption features

In-situ hydrodeoxygenation of phenol by supported Ni catalyst-explanation for catalyst performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Ze; Zeng, Ying; Lin, Weigang

2017-01-01

In-situ hydrodeoxygenation of phenol with aqueous hydrogen donor over supported Ni catalyst was investigated. The supported Ni catalysts exerted very poor performance, if formic acid was used as the hydrogen donor. Catalyst modification by loading K, Na, Mg or La salt could not make the catalyst...... performance improved. If gaseous hydrogen was used as the hydrogen source the activity of Ni/Al2O3 was pretty high. CO2 was found poisonous to the catalysis, due to the competitive adoption of phenol with CO2. If formic acid was replaced by methanol, the catalyst performance improved remarkably, with major...... products of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanol. The better effect of methanol enlightened the application of the supported Ni catalyst in in-situ hydrodeoxygenation of phenol....

Heterogeneous electro-Fenton catalyst for 1-butylpyridinium chloride degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Meijide, Jessica; Pazos, Marta; Sanromán, Maria Ángeles

2017-10-15

The application of the electro-Fenton process for organic compound mineralisation has been widely reported over the past years. However, operational problems related to the use of soluble iron salt as a homogeneous catalyst involve the development of novel catalysts that are able to operate in a wide pH range. For this purpose, polyvinyl alcohol-alginate beads, containing goethite as iron, were synthesised and evaluated as heterogeneous electro-Fenton catalyst for 1-butylpyridinium chloride mineralisation. The influence of catalyst dosage and pH solution on ionic liquid degradation was analysed, achieving almost total oxidation after 60 min under optimal conditions (2 g/L catalyst concentration and pH 3). The results showed good catalyst stability and reusability, although its effectiveness decreases slightly after three successive cycles. Furthermore, a plausible mineralisation pathway was proposed based on the oxidation byproducts determined by chromatographic techniques. Finally, the Microtox® test revealed notable detoxification after treatment which demonstrates high catalyst ability for pyridinium-based ionic liquid degradation by the electro-Fenton process.

Hydrogenation of citral into its derivatives using heterogeneous catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Sudiyarmanto, Hidayati, Luthfiana Nurul; Kristiani, Anis; Aulia, Fauzan

2017-11-01

Citral as known as a monoterpene can be found in plants and citrus fruits. The hydrogenation of citral into its derivatives become interesting area for scientist. This compound and its derivatives can be used for many application in pharmaceuticals and food areas. The development of heterogeneous catalysts become an important aspect in catalytic hydrogenation citral process. Nickel supported catalysts are well known as hydrogenation catalyst. These heterogeneous catalysts were tested their catalytic activity in hydrogenation of citral. The effect of various operation conditions, in term of feed concentration, catalyst loading, temperature, and reaction time were also studied. The liquid products produced were analyzed by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). The result of catalytic activity tests showed nickel skeletal catalyst exhibits best catalytic activity in hydrogenation of citral. The optimum of operation condition was achieved in citral concentration 0.1 M with nickel skeletal catalyst loading of 10% (w/w) at 80 °C and 20 bar for 2 hours produced the highest conversion as of 64.20% and the dominant product resulted was citronellal as of 56.48%.

A new catalyst for heavy water production and its prospect

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Toshio; Ohkoshi, Sumio; Takahashi, Tomiki

1978-01-01

The heavy water production process utilizing isotope exchange reaction between liquid water and hydrogen is the most promising method. Study was made for developing highly active and long life catalyst practically applied for this process. As platinum is used as this catalyst, catalytic activities using varieties of Polapacs and Shodexes instead of active carbon as the carriers of platinum catalyst were investigated. It became clear that the catalytic activity using Pt/Shodex 104 (3 wt %) was 1000 times as high as the activity using Pt/active carbon (1 wt %). This method is considered to be reasonable enough economically. There are many problems which must be solved hereafter for its practical use, and the further studies are required regarding the following points; forming of catalyst, life of catalyst, mass production of catalyst, most appropriate counter flow reacting device of hydrophobic catalyst, pressure and temperature effects on reaction. (Kobatake, H.)

Platinum Group Metal-free Catalysts for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Microbial Electrolysis Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Heyang; He, Zhen

2017-07-01

Hydrogen gas is a green energy carrier with great environmental benefits. Microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) can convert low-grade organic matter to hydrogen gas with low energy consumption and have gained a growing interest in the past decade. Cathode catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) present a major challenge for the development and future applications of MECs. An ideal cathode catalyst should be catalytically active, simple to synthesize, durable in a complex environment, and cost-effective. A variety of noble-metal free catalysts have been developed and investigated for HER in MECs, including Nickel and its alloys, MoS 2 , carbon-based catalysts and biocatalysts. MECs in turn can serve as a research platform to study the durability of the HER catalysts. This personal account has reviewed, analyzed, and discussed those catalysts with an emphasis on synthesis and modification, system performance and potential for practical applications. It is expected to provide insights into the development of HER catalysts towards MEC applications. © 2017 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Pd and S binding energies and Auger parameters on a model silica-supported Suzuki–Miyaura catalyst: Insights into catalyst activation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanif, Mohammad A.; Ebralidze, Iraklii I.; Horton, J. Hugh

2013-01-01

Model Suzuki–Miyaura reaction catalysts have been developed by immobilizing palladium on a mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) functionalized Si substrate. Two types of Pd species were found on the fresh catalysts that may be attributed to a S-bound Pd (II) species and Pd nanoparticles. The binding energy of the nanoparticles is strongly size dependent, and is higher than that of metallic Pd. A sulfur species that has not been previously reported on this class of catalysts has also been observed. A systematic investigation of various palladium/sulfur complexes using XPS was carried out to identify this species, which may be assigned to high oxidation state sulfur formed by oxidation of thiol during the reduction of the Pd(OAc) 2 used to load the catalyst with Pd. Shifts in binding energy observed for both Pd and S spectra of the used catalysts were examined in order to probe the change of electronic environment of reactive palladium center and the thiol ligand during the reaction. Electron and atomic force microscopic imaging of the surfaces demonstrates the formation of Pd nanoparticles on fresh catalysts and subsequent size reduction of the Pd nano-particles following reaction.

Alloy catalyst material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2014-01-01

The present invention relates to a novel alloy catalyst material for use in the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from oxygen and hydrogen, or from oxygen and water. The present invention also relates to a cathode and an electrochemical cell comprising the novel catalyst material, and the process use...... of the novel catalyst material for synthesising hydrogen peroxide from oxygen and hydrogen, or from oxygen and water....

Guard Cell and Tropomyosin Inspired Chemical Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacquelyn K.S. Nagel

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Sensors are an integral part of many engineered products and systems. Biological inspiration has the potential to improve current sensor designs as well as inspire innovative ones. This paper presents the design of an innovative, biologically-inspired chemical sensor that performs “up-front” processing through mechanical means. Inspiration from the physiology (function of the guard cell coupled with the morphology (form and physiology of tropomyosin resulted in two concept variants for the chemical sensor. Applications of the sensor design include environmental monitoring of harmful gases, and a non-invasive approach to detect illnesses including diabetes, liver disease, and cancer on the breath.

Vibration measurements of automobile catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Aatola, Seppo

1994-09-01

Vibration of catalyst cell, which is inside the casing of the catalyst, is difficult to measure with usual measuring instrumentation. When catalyst is in use, there is hot exhaust gas flow though the catalyst cell and temperature of the cell is approximately +900 degree(s)C. Therefore non-contact Laser- Doppler-Vibrometer was used to measure vibration velocity of the catalyst cell. The laser beam was directed towards the cell through pipe which was put through and welded to the casing of the catalyst. The outer end of the pipe was screw down with a tempered class to prevent exhaust gas flow from the pipe. The inner end of the pipe was open and few millimeters away from the measuring point. Catalyst was attached to the engine with two ways, rigidly close to the engine and flexible under the engine. The engine was running in test bench under controlled conditions. Vibration measurements were carried out during constant running speeds of the engine. Vibration signals were captured and analyzed with FFT-analyzer. Vibration of catalyst cell was strongest at running speed of 5000 rpm, from 10 to 20 g (1 g equals 9.81 ms-2), when catalyst was attached rigidly close to the engine. At running speed of 3000 rpm, vibration of catalyst cell was from 2 to 3 g in most cases, when catalyst was attached either rigidly or flexible to the engine. It is estimated that in real life, i.e. when catalyst is attached to car with same engine, vibration of catalyst cell at running speed of 5000 rpm is somewhere between 1 and 10 g. At running speed of 3000 rpm, which may be more often used when driving car (car speed approximately 100 kmh-1), vibration of catalyst cell is probably few g's.

Biologically Inspired Micro-Flight Research

Science.gov (United States)

Raney, David L.; Waszak, Martin R.

2003-01-01

Natural fliers demonstrate a diverse array of flight capabilities, many of which are poorly understood. NASA has established a research project to explore and exploit flight technologies inspired by biological systems. One part of this project focuses on dynamic modeling and control of micro aerial vehicles that incorporate flexible wing structures inspired by natural fliers such as insects, hummingbirds and bats. With a vast number of potential civil and military applications, micro aerial vehicles represent an emerging sector of the aerospace market. This paper describes an ongoing research activity in which mechanization and control concepts for biologically inspired micro aerial vehicles are being explored. Research activities focusing on a flexible fixed- wing micro aerial vehicle design and a flapping-based micro aerial vehicle concept are presented.

Effect of inspiration on airway dimensions measured in maximal inspiration CT images of subjects without airflow limitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petersen, Jens; Raket, Lars Lau; Nielsen, Mads [University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science, Copenhagen (Denmark); Wille, Mathilde M.W.; Dirksen, Asger [University of Copenhagen, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Gentofte Hospital, Hellerup (Denmark); Feragen, Aasa [University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science, Copenhagen (Denmark); Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tuebingen (Germany); Pedersen, Jesper H. [Rigshospitalet, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery RT, Copenhagen (Denmark); Bruijne, Marleen de [University of Copenhagen, Department of Computer Science, Copenhagen (Denmark); Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Departments of Medical Informatics and Radiology, Rotterdam (Netherlands)

2014-09-15

To study the effect of inspiration on airway dimensions measured in voluntary inspiration breath-hold examinations. 961 subjects with normal spirometry were selected from the Danish Lung Cancer Screening Trial. Subjects were examined annually for five years with low-dose CT. Automated software was utilized to segment lungs and airways, identify segmental bronchi, and match airway branches in all images of the same subject. Inspiration level was defined as segmented total lung volume (TLV) divided by predicted total lung capacity (pTLC). Mixed-effects models were used to predict relative change in lumen diameter (ALD) and wall thickness (AWT) in airways of generation 0 (trachea) to 7 and segmental bronchi (R1-R10 and L1-L10) from relative changes in inspiration level. Relative changes in ALD were related to relative changes in TLV/pTLC, and this distensibility increased with generation (p < 0.001). Relative changes in AWT were inversely related to relative changes in TLV/pTLC in generation 3-7 (p < 0.001). Segmental bronchi were widely dispersed in terms of ALD (5.7 ± 0.7 mm), AWT (0.86 ± 0.07 mm), and distensibility (23.5 ± 7.7 %). Subjects who inspire more deeply prior to imaging have larger ALD and smaller AWT. This effect is more pronounced in higher-generation airways. Therefore, adjustment of inspiration level is necessary to accurately assess airway dimensions. (orig.)

A New Bioinspired Perchlorate Reduction Catalyst with Significantly Enhanced Stability via Rational Tuning of Rhenium Coordination Chemistry and Heterogeneous Reaction Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jinyong; Han, Mengwei; Wu, Dimao; Chen, Xi; Choe, Jong Kwon; Werth, Charles J; Strathmann, Timothy J

2016-06-07

Rapid reduction of aqueous ClO4(-) to Cl(-) by H2 has been realized by a heterogeneous Re(hoz)2-Pd/C catalyst integrating Re(O)(hoz)2Cl complex (hoz = oxazolinyl-phenolato bidentate ligand) and Pd nanoparticles on carbon support, but ClOx(-) intermediates formed during reactions with concentrated ClO4(-) promote irreversible Re complex decomposition and catalyst deactivation. The original catalyst design mimics the microbial ClO4(-) reductase, which integrates Mo(MGD)2 complex (MGD = molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide) for oxygen atom transfer (OAT). Perchlorate-reducing microorganisms employ a separate enzyme, chlorite dismutase, to prevent accumulation of the destructive ClO2(-) intermediate. The structural intricacy of MGD ligand and the two-enzyme mechanism for microbial ClO4(-) reduction inspired us to improve catalyst stability by rationally tuning Re ligand structure and adding a ClOx(-) scavenger. Two new Re complexes, Re(O)(htz)2Cl and Re(O)(hoz)(htz)Cl (htz = thiazolinyl-phenolato bidentate ligand), significantly mitigate Re complex decomposition by slightly lowering the OAT activity when immobilized in Pd/C. Further stability enhancement is then obtained by switching the nanoparticles from Pd to Rh, which exhibits high reactivity with ClOx(-) intermediates and thus prevents their deactivating reaction with the Re complex. Compared to Re(hoz)2-Pd/C, the new Re(hoz)(htz)-Rh/C catalyst exhibits similar ClO4(-) reduction activity but superior stability, evidenced by a decrease of Re leaching from 37% to 0.25% and stability of surface Re speciation following the treatment of a concentrated "challenge" solution containing 1000 ppm of ClO4(-). This work demonstrates the pivotal roles of coordination chemistry control and tuning of individual catalyst components for achieving both high activity and stability in environmental catalyst applications.

Combinatorial Development of Water Splitting Catalysts Based on the Oxygen Evolving Complex of Photosystem II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodbury, Neal [Arizona State University

2010-03-31

The use of methods to create large arrays of potential catalysts for the reaction H2O ½ O2 + 2H+ on the anode of an electrolysis system were investigated. This reaction is half of the overall reaction involved in the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen gas. This method consisted of starting with an array of electrodes and developing patterned electrochemical approaches for creating a different, defined peptide at each position in the array. Methods were also developed for measuring the rate of reaction at each point in the array. In this way, the goal was to create and then tests many thousands of possible catalysts simultaneously. This type of approach should lead to an ability to optimize catalytic activity systematically, by iteratively designing and testing new libraries of catalysts. Optimization is important to decrease energy losses (over-potentials) associated with the water splitting reaction and thus for the generation of hydrogen. Most of the efforts in this grant period were focused on developing the chemistry and analytical methods required to create pattern peptide formation either using a photolithography approach or an electrochemical approach for dictating the positions of peptide bond formation. This involved testing a large number of different reactions and conditions. We have been able to find conditions that have allowed us to pattern peptide bond formation on both glass slides using photolithographic methods and on electrode arrays made by the company Combimatrix. Part of this effort involved generating novel approaches for performing mass spectroscopy directly from the patterned arrays. We have also been able to demonstrate the ability to measure current at each electrode due to electrolysis of water. This was performed with customized instrumentation created in collaboration with Combimatrix. In addition, several different molecular designs for peptides that bound metals (primarily Mn) were developed and synthesized and metal

Hair flow sensors: from bio-inspiration to bio-mimicking—a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Junliang; Yu, Xiong

2012-01-01

A great many living beings, such as aquatics and arthropods, are equipped with highly sensitive flow sensors to help them survive in challenging environments. These sensors are excellent sources of inspiration for developing application-driven artificial flow sensors with high sensitivity and performance. This paper reviews the bio-inspirations on flow sensing in nature and the bio-mimicking efforts to emulate such sensing mechanisms in recent years. The natural flow sensing systems in aquatics and arthropods are reviewed to highlight inspirations at multiple levels such as morphology, sensing mechanism and information processing. Biomimetic hair flow sensors based on different sensing mechanisms and fabrication technologies are also reviewed to capture the recent accomplishments and to point out areas where further progress is necessary. Biomimetic flow sensors are still in their early stages. Further efforts are required to unveil the sensing mechanisms in the natural biological systems and to achieve multi-level bio-mimicking of the natural system to develop their artificial counterparts. (topical review)

Catalyst for microelectromechanical systems microreactors

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, Jeffrey D [Martinez, CA; Sopchak, David A [Livermore, CA; Upadhye, Ravindra S [Pleasanton, CA; Reynolds, John G [San Ramon, CA; Satcher, Joseph H [Patterson, CA; Gash, Alex E [Brentwood, CA

2010-06-29

A microreactor comprising a silicon wafer, a multiplicity of microchannels in the silicon wafer, and a catalyst coating the microchannels. In one embodiment the catalyst coating the microchannels comprises a nanostructured material. In another embodiment the catalyst coating the microchannels comprises an aerogel. In another embodiment the catalyst coating the microchannels comprises a solgel. In another embodiment the catalyst coating the microchannels comprises carbon nanotubes.

7th International Conference on Bio-Inspired Computing : Theories and Applications

CERN Document Server

Singh, Pramod; Deep, Kusum; Pant, Millie; Nagar, Atulya

2013-01-01

The book is a collection of high quality peer reviewed research papers presented in Seventh International Conference on Bio-Inspired Computing (BIC-TA 2012) held at ABV-IIITM Gwalior, India. These research papers provide the latest developments in the broad area of "Computational Intelligence". The book discusses wide variety of industrial, engineering and scientific applications of nature/bio-inspired computing and presents invited papers from the inventors/originators of novel computational techniques.

Co-Production of Electricity and Hydrogen Using a Novel Iron-based Catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hilaly, Ahmad; Georgas, Adam; Leboreiro, Jose; Arora, Salil; Head, Megann; Trembly, Jason; Turk, Brian; Gupta, Raghubir

2011-09-30

The primary objective of this project was to develop a hydrogen production technology for gasification applications based on a circulating fluid-bed reactor and an attrition resistant iron catalyst. The work towards achieving this objective consisted of three key activities: Development of an iron-based catalyst suitable for a circulating fluid-bed reactor; Design, construction, and operation of a bench-scale circulating fluid-bed reactor system for hydrogen production; Techno-economic analysis of the steam-iron and the pressure swing adsorption hydrogen production processes. This report describes the work completed in each of these activities during this project. The catalyst development and testing program prepared and iron-based catalysts using different support and promoters to identify catalysts that had sufficient activity for cyclic reduction with syngas and steam oxidation and attrition resistance to enable use in a circulating fluid-bed reactor system. The best performing catalyst from this catalyst development program was produced by a commercial catalyst toll manufacturer to support the bench-scale testing activities. The reactor testing systems used during material development evaluated catalysts in a single fluid-bed reactor by cycling between reduction with syngas and oxidation with steam. The prototype SIP reactor system (PSRS) consisted of two circulating fluid-bed reactors with the iron catalyst being transferred between the two reactors. This design enabled demonstration of the technical feasibility of the combination of the circulating fluid-bed reactor system and the iron-based catalyst for commercial hydrogen production. The specific activities associated with this bench-scale circulating fluid-bed reactor systems that were completed in this project included design, construction, commissioning, and operation. The experimental portion of this project focused on technical demonstration of the performance of an iron-based catalyst and a

Biomass Conversion over Heteropoly Acid Catalysts

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Jizhe

2015-04-01

Biomass is a natural resource that is both abundant and sustainable. Its efficient utilization has long been the focus of research and development efforts with the aim to substitute it for fossil-based feedstock. In addition to the production of biofuels (e.g., ethanol) from biomass, which has been to some degree successful, its conversion to high value-added chemicals is equally important. Among various biomass conversion pathways, catalytic conversion is usually preferred, as it provides a cost-effective and eco-benign route to the desired products with high selectivities. The research of this thesis is focused on the conversion of biomass to various chemicals of commercial interest by selective catalytic oxidation. Molecular oxygen is chosen as the oxidant considering its low cost and environment friendly features in comparison with commonly used hydrogen peroxide. However, the activation of molecular oxygen usually requires high reaction temperatures, leading to over oxidation and thus lower selectivities. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop effective catalysts for such conversion systems. We use kegging-type heteropoly acids (HPAs) as a platform for catalysts design because of their high catalytic activities and ease of medication. Using HPA catalysts allows the conversion taking place at relatively low temperature, which is beneficial to saving production cost as well as to improving the reaction selectivity. The strong acidity of HPA promotes the hydrolysis of biomass of giant molecules (e.g. cellulose), which is the first as well as the most difficult step in the conversion process. Under certain circumstances, a HPA combines the merits of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, acting as an efficient homogeneous catalyst during the reaction while being easily separated as a heterogeneous catalyst after the reaction. We have successfully applied HPAs in several biomass conversion systems. Specially, we prepared a HPA-based bi-functional catalyst

Catalyst Deactivation Simulation Through Carbon Deposition in Carbon Dioxide Reforming over Ni/CaO-Al2O3 Catalyst

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Istadi Istadi

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Major problem in CO2 reforming of methane (CORM process is coke formation which is a carbonaceous residue that can physically cover active sites of a catalyst surface and leads to catalyst deactivation. A key to develop a more coke-resistant catalyst lies in a better understanding of the methane reforming mechanism at a molecular level. Therefore, this paper is aimed to simulate a micro-kinetic approach in order to calculate coking rate in CORM reaction. Rates of encapsulating and filamentous carbon formation are also included. The simulation results show that the studied catalyst has a high activity, and the rate of carbon formation is relatively low. This micro-kinetic modeling approach can be used as a tool to better understand the catalyst deactivation phenomena in reaction via carbon deposition. Copyright © 2011 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reserved.(Received: 10th May 2011; Revised: 16th August 2011; Accepted: 27th August 2011[How to Cite: I. Istadi, D.D. Anggoro, N.A.S. Amin, and D.H.W. Ling. (2011. Catalyst Deactivation Simulation Through Carbon Deposition in Carbon Dioxide Reforming over Ni/CaO-Al2O3 Catalyst. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 6 (2: 129-136. doi:10.9767/bcrec.6.2.1213.129-136][How to Link / DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.6.2.1213.129-136 || or local:  http://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/bcrec/article/view/1213 ] | View in  |  

Semiconductor Devices Inspired By and Integrated With Biology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rogers, John [University of Illinois

2012-04-25

Biology is curved, soft and elastic; silicon wafers are not. Semiconductor technologies that can bridge this gap in form and mechanics will create new opportunities in devices that adopt biologically inspired designs or require intimate integration with the human body. This talk describes the development of ideas for electronics that offer the performance of state-of-the-art, wafer- based systems but with the mechanical properties of a rubber band. We explain the underlying materials science and mechanics of these approaches, and illustrate their use in (1) bio- integrated, ‘tissue-like’ electronics with unique capabilities for mapping cardiac and neural electrophysiology, and (2) bio-inspired, ‘eyeball’ cameras with exceptional imaging properties enabled by curvilinear, Petzval designs.

Formic acid oxidation at platinum-bismuth catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popović Ksenija Đ.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The field of heterogeneous catalysis, specifically catalysis on bimetallic surfaces, has seen many advances over the past few decades. Bimetallic catalysts, which often show electronic and chemical properties that are distinct from those of their parent metals, offer the opportunity to obtain new catalysts with enhanced selectivity, activity, and stability. The oxidation of formic acid is of permanent interest as a model reaction for the mechanistic understanding of the electrooxidation of small organic molecules and because of its technical relevance for fuel cell applications. Platinum is one of the most commonly used catalysts for this reaction, despite the fact that it shows a few significant disadvantages: high cost and extreme susceptibility to poisoning by CO. To solve this problem, several approaches have been used, but generally, they all consist in the modification of platinum with a second element. Especially, bismuth has received significant attention as Pt modifier. According to the results presented in this survey dealing with the effects influencing the formic acid oxidation it was found that two types of Pt-Bi bimetallic catalysts (bulk and low loading deposits on GC showed superior catalytic activity in terms of the lower onset potential and oxidation current density, as well as exceptional stability compared to Pt. The findings in this report are important for the understanding of mechanism of formic acid electrooxidation on a bulk alloy and decorated surface, for the development of advanced anode catalysts for direct formic acid fuel cells, as well as for the synthesis of novel low-loading bimetallic catalysts. The use of bimetallic compounds as the anode catalysts is an effective solution to overcoming the problems of the formic acid oxidation current stability for long term applications. In the future, the tolerance of both CO poisoning and electrochemical leaching should be considered as the key factors in the development

Multiphase catalysts for selective reduction of NOx with hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maisuls, S.E.

2000-01-01

Among the existing proposed solutions to reduce emission of NOx there is a promising alternative, the so-called (HC-SCR) selective catalytic reduction of NOx using hydrocarbons as reductant. This thesis is part of a worldwide effort devoted to gain knowledge on the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with hydrocarbons with the final goal to contribute to the development of suitable catalysts for the above mentioned process. Chapter 2 describes the details of the experimental set-up and of the analytical methods employed. Among the catalyst for HC-SCR, Co-based catalyst are known to be active and selective, thus, a study on a series of Co-based catalysts, supported on zeolites, was undertaken and the results are presented in Chapter 3. Correlation between catalytic characteristics and kinetic results are employed to understand the working catalyst and this is used as a basis for catalyst optimization. With the intention to prepare a multi-functional catalyst that will preserve the desired characteristics of the individual components, minimizing their negative aspects, catalysts based on Co-Pt, supported on ZSM-5, were investigated. In Chapter 4 the results of this study are discussed. A bimetallic Co-Pt/ZSM-5 catalysts with low Pt contents (0.1 wt %) showed a synergistic effect by combining high stability and activity of Pt catalysts with the high N2 selectivity of Co catalysts. Furthermore, it was found to be sulfur- and water-tolerant. Its positive qualities brought us to study the mechanism that takes place over this catalyst during HC-SCR. The results of an in-situ i.r mechanistic study over this catalyst is reported in Chapter 5. From the results presented in Chapter 5 a mechanism operating over the Co-Pt/ZSM-5 catalyst is proposed. The modification of Co catalyst with Pt improved the catalysts. However, further improvement was found to be hindered by high selectivity to N2O. Since Rh catalysts are generally less selective to N2O, the modification of Co

Influence of ceria on the thermally durability of Pt/Rh automotive catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muraki, H.; Zhang, G.

1998-01-01

Full text: The use of cerium oxide as an oxygen storage component in automotive three-way catalysts has been well established. More recently the requirement of the three-way catalysts against the increase of the severity in emission standards has focused attention on the development of more active, durable catalysts. The thermally durability of Pt/Rh catalyst can be achieved by the utilization of thermally stable ceria as well as optimization of washcoat composition and structure in order to control the extent of interaction between PGM and ceria. In the present paper, we describe the influence of newly developed washcoat components and PGM interaction with ceria on catalytic performance. First, to clear that the interaction between PGM and ceria contributes to catalytic performance, several kinds of catalysts which have the varied interactions between PGM and ceria were prepared using engineered washcoat techniques and evaluated in the model gas reactor. It was obvious that the difference in performance among them after aging derived from a diversity of interactions between Pt, Rh, and ceria. Second, for the purpose of determining the thermally durability of the developed Pt/Rh catalyst, the catalysts including the current catalyst were aged under three different temperatures and evaluated on engine dynamometer. Result of engine dynamometer evaluation revealed that significant improvement in the thermal durability can be achieved by optimizing the PGM-ceria interaction. In conclusion, we recognize that a thermal durability of a three-way catalyst can be improved by the stabilization of proper PGM-ceria interaction after aging as well as the utilization of thermally durable ceria material

Development of a reaction cell for in-situ/operando studies of surface of a catalyst under a reaction condition and during catalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nguyen, Luan; Tao, Franklin, E-mail: franklin.tao.2011@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 (United States)

2016-06-15

Tracking surface chemistry of a catalyst during catalysis is significant for fundamental understanding of catalytic performance of the catalyst since it allows for establishing an intrinsic correlation between surface chemistry of a catalyst at its working status and its corresponding catalytic performance. Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy can be used for in-situ studies of surfaces of different materials or devices in a gas. To simulate the gaseous environment of a catalyst in a fixed-bed a flowing gaseous environment of reactants around the catalyst is necessary. Here, we report the development of a new flowing reaction cell for simulating in-situ study of a catalyst surface under a reaction condition in gas of one reactant or during catalysis in a mixture of reactants of a catalytic reaction. The homemade reaction cell is installed in a high vacuum (HV) or ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) environment of a chamber. The flowing gas in the reaction cell is separated from the HV or UHV environment through well sealings at three interfaces between the reaction cell and X-ray window, sample door and aperture of front cone of an energy analyzer. Catalyst in the cell is heated through infrared laser beam introduced through a fiber optics interfaced with the reaction cell through a homemade feedthrough. The highly localized heating on the sample holder and Au-passivated internal surface of the reaction cell effectively minimizes any unwanted reactions potentially catalyzed by the reaction cell. The incorporated laser heating allows a fast heating and a high thermal stability of the sample at a high temperature. With this cell, a catalyst at 800 °C in a flowing gas can be tracked readily.

Development of a reaction cell for in-situ/operando studies of surface of a catalyst under a reaction condition and during catalysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Luan; Tao, Franklin

2016-01-01

Tracking surface chemistry of a catalyst during catalysis is significant for fundamental understanding of catalytic performance of the catalyst since it allows for establishing an intrinsic correlation between surface chemistry of a catalyst at its working status and its corresponding catalytic performance. Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy can be used for in-situ studies of surfaces of different materials or devices in a gas. To simulate the gaseous environment of a catalyst in a fixed-bed a flowing gaseous environment of reactants around the catalyst is necessary. Here, we report the development of a new flowing reaction cell for simulating in-situ study of a catalyst surface under a reaction condition in gas of one reactant or during catalysis in a mixture of reactants of a catalytic reaction. The homemade reaction cell is installed in a high vacuum (HV) or ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) environment of a chamber. The flowing gas in the reaction cell is separated from the HV or UHV environment through well sealings at three interfaces between the reaction cell and X-ray window, sample door and aperture of front cone of an energy analyzer. Catalyst in the cell is heated through infrared laser beam introduced through a fiber optics interfaced with the reaction cell through a homemade feedthrough. The highly localized heating on the sample holder and Au-passivated internal surface of the reaction cell effectively minimizes any unwanted reactions potentially catalyzed by the reaction cell. The incorporated laser heating allows a fast heating and a high thermal stability of the sample at a high temperature. With this cell, a catalyst at 800 °C in a flowing gas can be tracked readily.

Pretreatment of Platinum/Tin Oxide-Catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Hess, Robert V.; Paulin, Patricia A.; Miller, Irvin M.; Schryer, David R.; Sidney, Barry D.; Wood, George M.; Upchurch, Billy T.; Brown, Kenneth G.

1987-01-01

Addition of CO to He pretreatment doubles catalytic activity. In sealed, high-energy, pulsed CO2 laser, CO and O2 form as decomposition products of CO2 in laser discharge zone. Products must be recombined, because oxygen concentration of more than few tenths of percent causes rapid deterioration of power, ending in unstable operation. Promising low-temperature catalyst for combining CO and O2 is platinum on tin oxide. New development increases activity of catalyst so less needed for recombination process.

Inspiration fra NY-times

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ejersbo, Lisser Rye

2015-01-01

NY-times har en ugentlig klumme med gode råd. For nogle uger siden var ugens inspiration henvendt til lærere/undervisere og drejede sig om, hvordan man skaber taletid til alle uden at have favoritter og overse de mere stille elever.......NY-times har en ugentlig klumme med gode råd. For nogle uger siden var ugens inspiration henvendt til lærere/undervisere og drejede sig om, hvordan man skaber taletid til alle uden at have favoritter og overse de mere stille elever....

Regeneration of Hydrotreating and FCC Catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CM Wai; JG Frye; JL Fulton; LE Bowman; LJ Silva; MA Gerber

1999-09-30

Hydrotreating, hydrocracking, and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts are important components of petroleum refining processes. Hydrotreating and hydrocracking catalysts are used to improve the yield of high-quality light oil fractions from heavier crude oil and petroleum feedstocks containing high levels of impurities. FCC catalysts improve the yield of higher octane gasoline from crude oil. Residuum hydrotreating and cracking catalysts are susceptible to irreversible deactivation caused by adsorption of sulfur and by metals impurities, such as vanadium and nickel. The gradual buildup of these impurities in a hydrotreating catalyst eventually plugs the pores and deactivates it. Nickel and vanadium adversely affect the behavior of cracking catalysts, reducing product yield and quality. Replacing deactivated catalysts represents a significant cost in petroleum refining. Equally important are the costs and potential liabilities associated with treating and disposing spent catalysts. For example, recent US Environmental Protection Agency rulings have listed spent hydrotreating and hydrorefining catalysts as hazardous wastes. FCC catalysts, though more easily disposed of as road-base or as filler in asphalt and cement, are still an economic concern mainly because of the large volumes of spent catalysts generated. New processes are being considered to increase the useful life of catalysts or for meeting more stringent disposal requirements for spent catalysts containing metals. This report discusses a collaborative effort between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Phillips Petroleum, Inc., to identify promising chemical processes for removing metals adhered to spent hydrodesulfurization (HDS, a type of hydrotreating catalyst) and FCC catalysts. This study, conducted by PNNL, was funded by the US Department of Energy's Bartlesville Project Office. Fresh and spent catalysts were provided by Phillips Petroleum. The FCC catalyst was a rare

Bio-Inspired Optimization of Sustainable Energy Systems: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Jun Zheng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Sustainable energy development always involves complex optimization problems of design, planning, and control, which are often computationally difficult for conventional optimization methods. Fortunately, the continuous advances in artificial intelligence have resulted in an increasing number of heuristic optimization methods for effectively handling those complicated problems. Particularly, algorithms that are inspired by the principles of natural biological evolution and/or collective behavior of social colonies have shown a promising performance and are becoming more and more popular nowadays. In this paper we summarize the recent advances in bio-inspired optimization methods, including artificial neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, swarm intelligence, and their hybridizations, which are applied to the field of sustainable energy development. Literature reviewed in this paper shows the current state of the art and discusses the potential future research trends.

Bio-inspired patterned networks (BIPS) for development of wearable/disposable biosensors

Science.gov (United States)

McLamore, E. S.; Convertino, M.; Hondred, John; Das, Suprem; Claussen, J. C.; Vanegas, D. C.; Gomes, C.

2016-05-01

Here we demonstrate a novel approach for fabricating point of care (POC) wearable electrochemical biosensors based on 3D patterning of bionanocomposite networks. To create Bio-Inspired Patterned network (BIPS) electrodes, we first generate fractal network in silico models that optimize transport of network fluxes according to an energy function. Network patterns are then inkjet printed onto flexible substrate using conductive graphene ink. We then deposit fractal nanometal structures onto the graphene to create a 3D nanocomposite network. Finally, we biofunctionalize the surface with biorecognition agents using covalent bonding. In this paper, BIPS are used to develop high efficiency, low cost biosensors for measuring glucose as a proof of concept. Our results on the fundamental performance of BIPS sensors show that the biomimetic nanostructures significantly enhance biosensor sensitivity, accuracy, response time, limit of detection, and hysteresis compared to conventional POC non fractal electrodes (serpentine, interdigitated, and screen printed electrodes). BIPs, in particular Apollonian patterned BIPS, represent a new generation of POC biosensors based on nanoscale and microscale fractal networks that significantly improve electrical connectivity, leading to enhanced sensor performance.

Bio-Inspired Sustainability Assessment for Building Product Development—Concept and Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafael Horn

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Technological advancement culminating in a globalized economy has brought tremendous improvements for mankind in manifold respects but comes at the cost of alienation from nature. Human activities nowadays are unsustainable and cause severe damage especially in terms of global depletion and destabilization of natural systems but also harm its own social resources. In this paper, a sustainability assessment method is developed based on a bio-inspired sustainability framework that has been developed in the project TRR 141-C01 “The biomimetic promise.” It is aims at regaining the advantages of societal embeddedness in its environment through biological inspiration. The method is developed using a structured approach including requirement specification, description of the inventory models on bio-inspiration and sustainability assessment, creation of a bio-inspired sustainability assessment model and its validation. It is defined as an accompanying assessment for decision support, using a six-fold two-dimensional structure of social, economic and environmental functions and burdens. The method is applied and validated in 6 projects of TRR 141 and its applicability is exemplarily shown by the assessment of “Bio-flexi”, a biobased and biodegradable natural fiber reinforced plastic composite for indoor cladding applications. Based on the findings of the application the assessment method itself is proposed to be advanced towards an adaptive structure and a consequent outlook is provided.

Application, Deactivation, and Regeneration of Heterogeneous Catalysts in Bio-Oil Upgrading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shouyun Cheng

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The massive consumption of fossil fuels and associated environmental issues are leading to an increased interest in alternative resources such as biofuels. The renewable biofuels can be upgraded from bio-oils that are derived from biomass pyrolysis. Catalytic cracking and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO are two of the most promising bio-oil upgrading processes for biofuel production. Heterogeneous catalysts are essential for upgrading bio-oil into hydrocarbon biofuel. Although advances have been achieved, the deactivation and regeneration of catalysts still remains a challenge. This review focuses on the current progress and challenges of heterogeneous catalyst application, deactivation, and regeneration. The technologies of catalysts deactivation, reduction, and regeneration for improving catalyst activity and stability are discussed. Some suggestions for future research including catalyst mechanism, catalyst development, process integration, and biomass modification for the production of hydrocarbon biofuels are provided.

Carbon monoxide oxidation over three different states of copper: Development of a model metal oxide catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jernigan, Glenn Geoffrey [California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

1994-10-01

Carbon monoxide oxidation was performed over the three different oxidation states of copper -- metallic (Cu), copper (I) oxide (Cu₂O), and copper (II) oxide (CuO) as a test case for developing a model metal oxide catalyst amenable to study by the methods of modern surface science and catalysis. Copper was deposited and oxidized on oxidized supports of aluminum, silicon, molybdenum, tantalum, stainless steel, and iron as well as on graphite. The catalytic activity was found to decrease with increasing oxidation state (Cu > Cu₂O > CuO) and the activation energy increased with increasing oxidation state (Cu, 9 kcal/mol < Cu₂O, 14 kcal/mol < CuO, 17 kcal/mol). Reaction mechanisms were determined for the different oxidation states. Lastly, NO reduction by CO was studied. A Cu and CuO catalyst were exposed to an equal mixture of CO and NO at 300--350 C to observe the production of N₂ and CO₂. At the end of each reaction, the catalyst was found to be Cu₂O. There is a need to study the kinetics of this reaction over the different oxidation states of copper.

NOVEL SLURRY PHASE DIESEL CATALYSTS FOR COAL-DERIVED SYNGAS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dr. Dragomir B. Bukur; Dr. Ketil Hanssen; Alec Klinghoffer; Dr. Lech Nowicki; Patricia O' Dowd; Dr. Hien Pham; Jian Xu

2001-01-07

This report describes research conducted to support the DOE program in novel slurry phase catalysts for converting coal-derived synthesis gas to diesel fuels. The primary objective of this research program is to develop attrition resistant catalysts that exhibit high activities for conversion of coal-derived syngas.

Enantioselective Decarboxylative Alkylation Reactions: Catalyst Development, Substrate Scope, and Mechanistic Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Behenna, Douglas C.; Mohr, Justin T.; Sherden, Nathaniel H.; Marinescu, Smaranda C.; Harned, Andrew M.; Tani, Kousuke; Seto, Masaki; Ma, Sandy; Novák, Zoltán; Krout, Michael R.; McFadden, Ryan M.; Roizen, Jennifer L.; Enquist, John A.; White, David E.; Levine, Samantha R.; Petrova, Krastina V.; Iwashita, Akihiko; Virgil, Scott C.; Stoltz, Brian M.

2012-01-01

α-Quaternary ketones are accessed through novel enantioselective alkylations of allyl and propargyl electrophiles by unstabilized prochiral enolate nucleophiles in the presence of palladium complexes with various phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) ligands. Excellent yields and high enantiomeric excesses are obtained from three classes of enolate precursors: enol carbonates, enol silanes, and racemic β-ketoesters. Each of these substrate classes functions with nearly identical efficiency in terms of yield and enantioselectivity. Catalyst discovery and development, the optimization of reaction conditions, the exploration of reaction scope, and applications in target-directed synthesis are reported. Experimental observations suggest that these alkylation reactions occur through an unusual inner-sphere mechanism involving binding of the prochiral enolate nucleophile directly to the palladium center. PMID:22083969

Enantioselective Decarboxylative Alkylation Reactions: Catalyst Development, Substrate Scope, and Mechanistic Studies

KAUST Repository

Behenna, Douglas C.; Mohr, Justin T.; Sherden, Nathaniel H.; Marinescu, Smaranda C.; Harned, Andrew M.; Tani, Kousuke; Seto, Masaki; Ma, Sandy; Nová k, Zoltá n; Krout, Michael R.; McFadden, Ryan M.; Roizen, Jennifer L.; Enquist, John A.; White, David E.; Levine, Samantha R.; Petrova, Krastina V.; Iwashita, Akihiko; Virgil, Scott C.; Stoltz, Brian M.

2011-01-01

α-Quaternary ketones are accessed through novel enantioselective alkylations of allyl and propargyl electrophiles by unstabilized prochiral enolate nucleophiles in the presence of palladium complexes with various phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) ligands. Excellent yields and high enantiomeric excesses are obtained from three classes of enolate precursor: enol carbonates, enol silanes, and racemic β-ketoesters. Each of these substrate classes functions with nearly identical efficiency in terms of yield and enantioselectivity. Catalyst discovery and development, the optimization of reaction conditions, the exploration of reaction scope, and applications in target-directed synthesis are reported. Experimental observations suggest that these alkylation reactions occur through an unusual inner-sphere mechanism involving binding of the prochiral enolate nucleophile directly to the palladium center.

Enantioselective Decarboxylative Alkylation Reactions: Catalyst Development, Substrate Scope, and Mechanistic Studies

KAUST Repository

Behenna, Douglas C.

2011-11-14

α-Quaternary ketones are accessed through novel enantioselective alkylations of allyl and propargyl electrophiles by unstabilized prochiral enolate nucleophiles in the presence of palladium complexes with various phosphinooxazoline (PHOX) ligands. Excellent yields and high enantiomeric excesses are obtained from three classes of enolate precursor: enol carbonates, enol silanes, and racemic β-ketoesters. Each of these substrate classes functions with nearly identical efficiency in terms of yield and enantioselectivity. Catalyst discovery and development, the optimization of reaction conditions, the exploration of reaction scope, and applications in target-directed synthesis are reported. Experimental observations suggest that these alkylation reactions occur through an unusual inner-sphere mechanism involving binding of the prochiral enolate nucleophile directly to the palladium center.

Catalysts for synthetic liquid fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruce, L.A.; Turney, T.W.

1987-12-01

Fischer-Tropsch catalysts have been designed, characterized and tested for the selective production of hydrocarbons suitable as synthetic liquid transport fuels from synthesis gas (i.e., by the reduction of carbon monoxide with hydrogen). It was found that hydrocarbons in the middle distillate range, or suitable for conversion to that range, could be produced over several of the new catalyst systems. The various catalysts examined included: (1) synthetic cobalt clays, mainly cobalt chlorites; (2) cobalt hydrotalcites; (3) ruthenium metal supported on rare earth oxides of high surface area; and (4) a novel promoted cobalt catalyst. Active and selective catalysts have been obtained, in each category. With the exception of the clays, reproducibility of catalyst performance has been good. Catalysts in groups 2 and 4 have exhibited very high activity, with long lifetimes and easy regeneration.

Synthesis of MoVTeNb Oxide Catalysts with Tunable Particle Dimensions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kolenko, Yury V.; Zhang, Wei; d'Alnoncourt, Raoul Naumann

2011-01-01

Reliable procedures for the controlled synthesis of phase-pure MoVTeNb mixed oxides with M1 structure (ICSD 55097) and tunable crystal dimensions were developed to study the structure sensitivity of the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid. A series of powdered M1 catalysts...... catalysts were studied in the selective oxidation of propane to acrylic acid, revealing that active sites appear on the entire M1 surface and illustrating the high sensitivity of catalyst performance on the catalyst synthesis method....

Recombination Catalysts for Hypersonic Fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Chinitz, W.

1998-01-01

The goal of commercially-viable access to space will require technologies that reduce propulsion system weight and complexity, while extracting maximum energy from the products of combustion. This work is directed toward developing effective nozzle recombination catalysts for the supersonic and hypersonic aeropropulsion engines used to provide such access to space. Effective nozzle recombination will significantly reduce rk=le length (hence, propulsion system weight) and reduce fuel requirements, further decreasing the vehicle's gross lift-off weight. Two such catalysts have been identified in this work, barium and antimony compounds, by developing chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms for these materials and determining the engine performance enhancement for a typical flight trajectory. Significant performance improvements are indicated, using only 2% (mole or mass) of these compounds in the combustor product gas.

Synthesis H-Zeolite catalyst by impregnation KI/KIO3 and performance test catalyst for biodiesel production

Science.gov (United States)

Widayat, W.; Rizky Wicaksono, Adit; Hakim Firdaus, Lukman; Okvitarini, Ndaru

2016-02-01

The objective of this research is to produce H-catalyst catalyst that was impregnated with KI/KIO3. The catalyst was analyzed about surface area, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and performance test of catalyst for biodiesel production. An H-Zeolite catalyst was synthesized from natural zeolite with chemical treatment processing, impregnation KI/KIO3 and physical treatment. The results shows that the surface area of the catalyst by 27.236 m2/g at a concentration of 5% KI. XRD analysis shows peak 2-θ at 23.627o indicating that KI was impregnated on H-zeolite catalyst. The catalyst was tested in production of biodiesel using palm oil with conventional methods for 3 hour at temperature of 70-80 oC. The result for conversion Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) reached maximum value on 87.91% under production process using catalyst 5% KIO3-H zeolite.

Preparation of wet-proofed catalyst for tritium removal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Son, S-H; Lee, G-B; Song, M-J [Korea Electric Power Corp., Taejon (Korea, Republic of). Research Centre

1996-12-31

Wetproofed catalysts have been developed for the hydrogen isotopic exchange reaction between hydrogen gas and liquid water. A styrene divinylbenzene copolymer (SDBC) was selected as effective support of the hydrophobic Pt catalyst. Preparation conditions and physical properties of the SDBC were investigated experimentally. The SDBC having the larger pore size, higher surface area and larger particle size were prepared by the particular solvent and stirring speed. The H{sub 2} adsorption isotherm on a supported Pt catalyst was measured and the hydrogen isotopic exchange reaction was verified in the exchange column. (author). 7 refs., 4 tabs., 7 figs.

Preparation of wet-proofed catalyst for tritium removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Son, S-H.; Lee, G-B.; Song, M-J.

1995-01-01

Wetproofed catalysts have been developed for the hydrogen isotopic exchange reaction between hydrogen gas and liquid water. A styrene divinylbenzene copolymer (SDBC) was selected as effective support of the hydrophobic Pt catalyst. Preparation conditions and physical properties of the SDBC were investigated experimentally. The SDBC having the larger pore size, higher surface area and larger particle size were prepared by the particular solvent and stirring speed. The H 2 adsorption isotherm on a supported Pt catalyst was measured and the hydrogen isotopic exchange reaction was verified in the exchange column. (author). 7 refs., 4 tabs., 7 figs

Regeneration of LOHC dehydrogenation catalysts: In-situ IR spectroscopy on single crystals, model catalysts, and real catalysts from UHV to near ambient pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amende, Max; Kaftan, Andre; Bachmann, Philipp; Brehmer, Richard; Preuster, Patrick; Koch, Marcus

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We examine the regeneration of Pt-based catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. • A microscopic mechanism of the removal of degradation products from Pt is proposed. • Results of our UHV studies on model catalysts are transferred to real catalysis. • Oxidative regeneration of Pt/alumina is possible under mild conditions (600 K). • The degree and temperature regime of regeneration depends on the catalyst morphology. - Abstract: The Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) concept offers an efficient route to store hydrogen using organic compounds that are reversibly hydrogenated and dehydrogenated. One important challenge towards application of the LOHC technology at a larger scale is to minimize degradation of Pt-based dehydrogenation catalysts during long-term operation. Herein, we investigate the regeneration of Pt/alumina catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. We combine ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) studies on Pt(111), investigations on well-defined Pt/Al_2O_3 model catalysts, and near-ambient pressure (NAP) measurements on real core–shell Pt/Al_2O_3 catalyst pellets. The catalysts were purposely poisoned by reaction with the LOHC perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (H18-MSH) and with dicyclohexylmethane (DCHM) as a simpler model compound. We focus on oxidative regeneration under conditions that may be applied in real dehydrogenation reactors. The degree of poisoning and regeneration under oxidative reaction conditions was quantified using CO as a probe molecule and measured by infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for planar model systems and real catalysts, respectively. We find that regeneration strongly depends on the composition of the catalyst surface. While the clean surface of a poisoned Pt(111) single crystal is fully restored upon thermal treatment in oxygen up to 700 K, contaminated Pt/Al_2O_3 model catalyst and core–shell pellet were only

Regeneration of LOHC dehydrogenation catalysts: In-situ IR spectroscopy on single crystals, model catalysts, and real catalysts from UHV to near ambient pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amende, Max, E-mail: max.amende@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Kaftan, Andre, E-mail: andre.kaftan@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Bachmann, Philipp, E-mail: philipp.bachmann@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Physikalische Chemie II, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Brehmer, Richard, E-mail: richard.brehmer@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Preuster, Patrick, E-mail: patrick.preuster@fau.de [Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Koch, Marcus, E-mail: marcus.koch@crt.cbi.uni-erlangen.de [Lehrstuhl für Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Egerlandstr. 3, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); and others

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We examine the regeneration of Pt-based catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. • A microscopic mechanism of the removal of degradation products from Pt is proposed. • Results of our UHV studies on model catalysts are transferred to real catalysis. • Oxidative regeneration of Pt/alumina is possible under mild conditions (600 K). • The degree and temperature regime of regeneration depends on the catalyst morphology. - Abstract: The Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) concept offers an efficient route to store hydrogen using organic compounds that are reversibly hydrogenated and dehydrogenated. One important challenge towards application of the LOHC technology at a larger scale is to minimize degradation of Pt-based dehydrogenation catalysts during long-term operation. Herein, we investigate the regeneration of Pt/alumina catalysts poisoned by LOHC degradation. We combine ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) studies on Pt(111), investigations on well-defined Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} model catalysts, and near-ambient pressure (NAP) measurements on real core–shell Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalyst pellets. The catalysts were purposely poisoned by reaction with the LOHC perhydro-dibenzyltoluene (H18-MSH) and with dicyclohexylmethane (DCHM) as a simpler model compound. We focus on oxidative regeneration under conditions that may be applied in real dehydrogenation reactors. The degree of poisoning and regeneration under oxidative reaction conditions was quantified using CO as a probe molecule and measured by infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and diffuse reflectance Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (DRIFTS) for planar model systems and real catalysts, respectively. We find that regeneration strongly depends on the composition of the catalyst surface. While the clean surface of a poisoned Pt(111) single crystal is fully restored upon thermal treatment in oxygen up to 700 K, contaminated Pt/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} model catalyst and

Recycling of spent hydroprocessing catalysts: EURECAT technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berrebi, G.; Dufresne, P.; Jacquier, Y. (EURECAT-European Reprocessing Catalysts, La Voulte sur Rhone (France))

1994-04-01

Disposal of spent catalyst is a growing concern for all refiners. Environmental regulations are becoming stricter and stricter and there are State recommendations to develop disposal routes which would emphasize recycling as much as possible, and processing the wastes as near as possible to the production center. In this context, EURECAT has developed a recycling process for the hydroprocessing catalysts used in the oil refineries (NiMo, CoMo, NiW on alumina or mixed alumina silica). The process starts with a regeneration of the catalyst to eliminate hydrocarbons, carbon and sulfur. After a caustic roasting, the material is leached to obtain a solution containing mainly molybdenum (or tungsten) and vanadium, and a solid containing essentially alumina, cobalt and/or nickel. Molybdenum and vanadium are separated by an ion exchange resin technique. The solid is processed in an arc furnace to separate the alumina. Nickel and cobalt are separated by conventional solvent extraction to obtain pure metal. Alumina is disposed of as an inert slag. The strength of the process lies in the combination of proven technologies applied by companies whose reliability in their respective field is well known. The aspects concerning spent catalyst handling, packaging and transport are also discussed. 13 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.

A bio-inspired apposition compound eye machine vision sensor system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, J D; Barrett, S F; Wright, C H G; Wilcox, M

2009-01-01

The Wyoming Information, Signal Processing, and Robotics Laboratory is developing a wide variety of bio-inspired vision sensors. We are interested in exploring the vision system of various insects and adapting some of their features toward the development of specialized vision sensors. We do not attempt to supplant traditional digital imaging techniques but rather develop sensor systems tailor made for the application at hand. We envision that many applications may require a hybrid approach using conventional digital imaging techniques enhanced with bio-inspired analogue sensors. In this specific project, we investigated the apposition compound eye and its characteristics commonly found in diurnal insects and certain species of arthropods. We developed and characterized an array of apposition compound eye-type sensors and tested them on an autonomous robotic vehicle. The robot exhibits the ability to follow a pre-defined target and avoid specified obstacles using a simple control algorithm.

Characterization of catalysts by Moessbauer spectroscopy: An application to the study of Fischer-Tropsch, hydrotreating and super Claus catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraan, A.M. van der; Boellaard, E.; Craje, M.W.J.

1993-01-01

Moessbauer spectroscopy is an excellent in-situ technique for the identification of phases present in catalysts. Applied to metallic iron catalysts used in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction it reveals a detailed picture of the carburization process and provides insight into the relation between the properties of the catalytic material and its activity. The influence of a support and the effect of alloying iron with an (in)active metal on the catalytic performance is discussed for Fe, Cu-Fe and Ni-Fe systems. In addition, Moessbauer spectroscopy is used for the identification of 'Co-sulfide' species present in sulfided Co and CoMo catalysts applied in one of the largest chemical processes in the world, the hydrotreatment of crude oil. A structural model is proposed. Finally, the contribution of Moessbauer spectroscopic studies to the development of a new catalyst for cleaning of Claus tail gas via selective oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur is discussed. (orig.)

Continuous flow hydrogenation using polysilane-supported palladium/alumina hybrid catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shū Kobayashi

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Continuous flow systems for hydrogenation using polysilane-supported palladium/alumina (Pd/(PSi–Al2O3 hybrid catalysts were developed. Our original Pd/(PSi–Al2O3 catalysts were used successfully in these systems and the hydrogenation of unsaturated C–C bonds and a nitro group, deprotection of a carbobenzyloxy (Cbz group, and a dehalogenation reaction proceeded smoothly. The catalyst retained high activity for at least 8 h under neat conditions.

Allotropic Carbon Nanoforms as Advanced Metal-Free Catalysts or as Supports

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hermenegildo Garcia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This perspective paper summarizes the use of three nanostructured carbon allotropes as metal-free catalysts (“carbocatalysts” or as supports of metal nanoparticles. After an introductory section commenting the interest of developing metal-free catalysts and main features of carbon nanoforms, the main body of this paper is focused on exemplifying the opportunities that carbon nanotubes, graphene, and diamond nanoparticles offer to develop advanced catalysts having active sites based on carbon in the absence of transition metals or as large area supports with special morphology and unique properties. The final section provides my personal view on future developments in this field.

Kids Inspire Kids for STEAM

OpenAIRE

Fenyvesi, Kristof; Houghton, Tony; Diego-Mantecón, José Manuel; Crilly, Elizabeth; Oldknow, Adrian; Lavicza, Zsolt; Blanco, Teresa F.

2017-01-01

Abstract The goal of the Kids Inspiring Kids in STEAM (KIKS) project was to raise students' awareness towards the multi- and transdisciplinary connections between the STEAM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics), and make the learning about topics and phenomena from these fields more enjoyable. In order to achieve these goals, KIKS project has popularized the STEAM-concept by projects based on the students inspiring other students-approach and by utilizing new tec...

Self-regenerative function of the intelligent automotive catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanaka, Hirohisa; Nishihata, Yasuo

2007-01-01

Intelligent catalyst, in which noble metals are used as an active part of automotive catalyst, has been considered for keeping up their sufficient activity. The noble metals have a function of cleaning up the exhaust gas as well as that of self-regeneration. In 2002, a Pd system has been put to practical use, and continuously Rh and Pt systems have been commercialized. Now the catalyst has been used in more than three million vehicles. In this report, the atomic level mechanism of the catalyst and its self-regeneration function getting from analyses using synchrotron radiation are introduced. By the analysis using the Spring-8, the mechanism of keeping the active state of the Pd Perovskite Oxide without degradation was identified. The DXAFS (Dispersive X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) analysis in the ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility) made clear the self-regeneration mechanism of the Pd Perovskite Oxide. This knowledge could lead to the practical development of the Rh and Pt systems. The catalyst technology is counted on balancing resources of the noble metal and environmental sustainability. (A.H.)

Automotive Catalyst State Diagnosis Using Microwaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moos Ralf

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The state of catalysts plays a key role in automotive exhaust gas aftertreatment. The soot or ash loading of Diesel particulate filters, the oxygen loading degree in three-way catalysts, the amount of stored ammonia in SCR catalysts, or the NOx loading degree in NOx storage catalysts are important parameters that are today determined indirectly and in a model-based manner with gas sensors installed upstream and/or downstream of the catalysts. This contribution gives an overview on a novel approach to determine the catalyst state directly by a microwave-based technique. The method exploits the fact that the catalyst housing acts as a microwave cavity resonator. As “sensing” elements, one or two simple antennas are mounted inside the catalyst canning. The electrical properties of the catalyst device (ceramic honeycomb plus coating and storage material can be measured. Preferably, the resonance characteristics, e.g., the resonance frequencies, of selected cavity modes are observed. The information on the catalyst interior obtained in such a contactless manner is very well correlated with the catalyst state as will be demonstrated for different exhaust gas aftertreatment systems.

Catalyst in Basic Oleochemicals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Suyenty

2007-10-01

Full Text Available Currently Indonesia is the world largest palm oil producer with production volume reaching 16 million tones per annum. The high crude oil and ethylene prices in the last 3 – 4 years contribute to the healthy demand growth for basic oleochemicals: fatty acids and fatty alcohols. Oleochemicals are starting to replace crude oil derived products in various applications. As widely practiced in petrochemical industry, catalyst plays a very important role in the production of basic oleochemicals. Catalytic reactions are abound in the production of oleochemicals: Nickel based catalysts are used in the hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids; sodium methylate catalyst in the transesterification of triglycerides; sulfonic based polystyrene resin catalyst in esterification of fatty acids; and copper chromite/copper zinc catalyst in the high pressure hydrogenation of methyl esters or fatty acids to produce fatty alcohols. To maintain long catalyst life, it is crucial to ensure the absence of catalyst poisons and inhibitors in the feed. The preparation methods of nickel and copper chromite catalysts are as follows: precipitation, filtration, drying, and calcinations. Sodium methylate is derived from direct reaction of sodium metal and methanol under inert gas. The sulfonic based polystyrene resin is derived from sulfonation of polystyrene crosslinked with di-vinyl-benzene. © 2007 BCREC UNDIP. All rights reserved.[Presented at Symposium and Congress of MKICS 2007, 18-19 April 2007, Semarang, Indonesia][How to Cite: E. Suyenty, H. Sentosa, M. Agustine, S. Anwar, A. Lie, E. Sutanto. (2007. Catalyst in Basic Oleochemicals. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering and Catalysis, 2 (2-3: 22-31.  doi:10.9767/bcrec.2.2-3.6.22-31][How to Link/DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.2.2-3.6.22-31 || or local: http://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/bcrec/article/view/6

Design of sintering-stable heterogeneous catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gallas-Hulin, Agata

One of the major issues in the use of metal nanoparticles in heterogeneous catalysis is sintering. Sintering occurs at elevated temperatures because of increased mobility of nanoparticles, leading to their agglomeration and, as a consequence, to the deactivation of the catalyst. It is an emerging...... problem especially for the noble metals-based catalysis. These metals being expensive and scarce, it is worth developing catalyst systems which preserve their activity over time. Encapsulation of nanoparticles inside zeolites is one of the ways to prevent sintering. Entrapment of nanoparticles inside...

Wire gauze and cordierite supported noble metal catalysts for passive autocatalytic recombiner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanap, Kiran K.; Varma, S.; Waghmode, S.B.; Bharadwaj, S.R.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Synthesis by electroless deposition method and chemical reduction route. • Particle size of 0.1–0.5 μm & 3.5–5 nm for Pt–Pd/Wg & Pt–Pd/Cord catalysts. • Active for H_2 and O_2 reaction with initial H_2 concentration of 1.5 to 7% in air. • Active in presence of different contaminants like CO_2, CH_4, CO & relative humidity. • Enhanced resistance of Pt–Pd/Cord catalyst towards the poisoning of CO. - Abstract: Hydrogen released in nuclear reactor containment under severe accident scenario poses a threat to containment and hence needs to be regulated by catalytic recombination. Mixed noble metal catalysts with platinum–palladium supported on stainless steel wire gauze and cordierite support have been developed for this purpose. The developed catalysts have been found to be highly efficient for removal of hydrogen concentration in the range of 1.5 to 7.0% v/v in air. Though both the catalysts exhibit similar kinetics for lower hydrogen concentration, cordierite supported catalysts exhibits better kinetic rate at higher hydrogen concentration. The performances of these catalysts in presence of various probable catalytic poison like carbon monoxide and catalytic inhibitors like moisture, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbons provide data for use of these catalysts under the actual scenario. Compared to stainless steel wire gauze supported catalyst, the cordierite based catalyst are found to exhibit enhanced resistance towards carbon monoxide and limited temperature rise for safer application at higher hydrogen concentrations.

Improved approximate inspirals of test bodies into Kerr black holes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gair, Jonathan R; Glampedakis, Kostas

2006-01-01

We present an improved version of the approximate scheme for generating inspirals of test bodies into a Kerr black hole recently developed by Glampedakis, Hughes and Kennefick. Their original 'hybrid' scheme was based on combining exact relativistic expressions for the evolution of the orbital elements (the semilatus rectum p and eccentricity e) with an approximate, weak-field, formula for the energy and angular momentum fluxes, amended by the assumption of constant inclination angle ι during the inspiral. Despite the fact that the resulting inspirals were overall well behaved, certain pathologies remained for orbits in the strong-field regime and for orbits which are nearly circular and/or nearly polar. In this paper we eliminate these problems by incorporating an array of improvements in the approximate fluxes. First, we add certain corrections which ensure the correct behavior of the fluxes in the limit of vanishing eccentricity and/or 90 deg. inclination. Second, we use higher order post-Newtonian formulas, adapted for generic orbits. Third, we drop the assumption of constant inclination. Instead, we first evolve the Carter constant by means of an approximate post-Newtonian expression and subsequently extract the evolution of ι. Finally, we improve the evolution of circular orbits by using fits to the angular momentum and inclination evolution determined by Teukolsky-based calculations. As an application of our improved scheme, we provide a sample of generic Kerr inspirals which we expect to be the most accurate to date, and for the specific case of nearly circular orbits we locate the critical radius where orbits begin to decircularize under radiation reaction. These easy-to-generate inspirals should become a useful tool for exploring LISA data analysis issues and may ultimately play a role in the detection of inspiral signals in the LISA data

Solid Catalysts and theirs Application in Biodiesel Production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramli Mat

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The reduction of oil resources and increasing petroleum price has led to the search for alternative fuel from renewable resources such as biodiesel. Currently biodiesel is produced from vegetable oil using liquid catalysts. Replacement of liquid catalysts with solid catalysts would greatly solve the problems associated with expensive separation methods and corrosion problems, yielding to a cleaner product and greatly decreasing the cost of biodiesel production. In this paper, the development of solid catalysts and its catalytic activity are reviewed. Solid catalysts are able to perform trans-esterification and esterification reactions simultaneously and able to convert low quality oils with high amount of Free Fatty Acids. The parameters that effect the production of biodiesel are discussed in this paper. Copyright © 2012 by BCREC UNDIP. All rights reservedReceived: 6th April 2012, Revised: 24th October 2012, Accepted: 24th October 2012[How to Cite: R. Mat, R.A. Samsudin, M. Mohamed, A. Johari, (2012. Solid Catalysts and Their Application in Biodiesel Production. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 7(2: 142-149. doi:10.9767/bcrec.7.2.3047.142-149] [How to Link / DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.7.2.3047.142-149 ] | View in 

Hydroprocessing catalysts utilization and regeneration schemes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furimsky, E.

The catalyst reactor inventory represents an important part of the cost of hydroprocessing operation. The selection of a suitable catalyst and reactor is influenced by feedstock properties. Processes ensuring an uninterrupted operation during catalyst addition and withdrawal are preferred for processing high asphaltene and metal content feedstocks. The spent catalyst can be regenerated and returned to the operation if the extent of its deactivation is not high. The regeneration may be performed either in-situ or off-site. The former is suitable for fixed bed reactors whereas the catalyst from ebullated bed reactors must be regenerated off-site. The regeneration of spent catalysts heavily loaded with metals such as V, Ni and Fe may not be economic. Such catalysts may be suitable for metal reclamation. An environmentally safe method for catalyst disposal must be found if neither regeneration nor metal reclamation from spent catalysts can be performed.

Alternative alkali resistant deNOx catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Putluru, Siva Sankar Reddy; Kristensen, Steffen Buus; Due-Hansen, Johannes

2012-01-01

by onepot sol–gel method. All catalysts were characterized by BET, XRPD and NH3-TPD. Initial SCR activities of 8 out of 9 catalysts showed higher NO conversion at least at one temperature in the temperature range 300–500 ◦C compared to the conventional V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst. After potassium poisoning (100......Alternative alkali resistant deNOx catalysts were prepared using three different supports ZrO2, TiO2 and Mordenite zeolite. The majority of the catalysts were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of a commercial support, with vanadium, copper or iron precursor, one catalyst was prepared......–130 µmol of K/g of catalyst) the relative drop in SCR activity and acidity was lower for all the alternative catalysts compared to the industrial V2O5-WO3/TiO2 catalyst. Furthermore, Cu/MOR and Nano-V2O5/Sul-TiO2 catalysts showed 8–16 times higher SCR activities than the conventional even after high...

Development of structural characterisation tools for catalysts; Developpement d'outils de caracterisation structurale de catalyseurs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lynch, J.

1999-10-01

Because of the diversity of their compositions and structures, and the treatments needed to render them active, heterogeneous catalysts present a major challenge in structural characterisation. Electron microscopy provides textural and structural information at the scale of the individual particle. We have been able to analyse epitaxial relationships between nanometer size particles and their support and to determine which crystal faces are most exposed. Chemical analysis can be carried out on individual particles in a bimetallic catalyst. Limitations of this technique are shown for characterisation of catalysts at the atomic scale or in reactive conditions. Here, global analysis methods based on X-ray absorption and diffraction provide more information. W-ray absorption fine structure analysis has been applied to sub-nanometer size particles in platinum based catalysts to explore interactions between the metal and reactive gases such as hydrocarbons and H{sub 2}S. Differences observed between mono-metallic and bimetallic solids lead to structural models to explain differences in catalyst reactivity. X-ray diffraction, combined with electron microscopy, shows the presence of different forms of extra-framework aluminium is steamed zeolites. Quantification of some these forms has been possible and a study of their reactivity towards different de-aluminating agents has been achieved. Work in progress shows the advantages of a combination of X-ray diffraction and absorption to study decomposition of hydrotalcites to form mixed oxides as well as possibilities in infra-red spectroscopy of adsorbed CO to determine surface sites in Fischer Tropsch catalysts. Use of in-situ analysis cells enables a detailed description of catalyst structure in reactive atmospheres and opens the possibility of correlating structure with catalytic activity. (author)

Toward Catalyst Design from Theoretical Calculations (464th Brookhaven Lecture)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Ping (BNL Chemistry Dept)

2010-12-15

Catalysts have been used to speed up chemical reactions as long as yeast has been used to make bread rise. Today, catalysts are used everywhere from home kitchens to industrial chemical factories. In the near future, new catalysts being developed at Brookhaven Lab may be used to speed us along our roads and highways as they play a major role in solving the world’s energy challenges. During the lecture, Liu will discuss how theorists and experimentalists at BNL are working together to formulate and test new catalysts that could be used in real-life applications, such as hydrogen-fuel cells that may one day power our cars and trucks.

Hydrophobic catalyst mixture for the isotopic exchange reaction between hydrogen and water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paek, S.; Ahn, D. H.; Choi, H. J.; Kim, K. R.; Lee, M.; Yim, S. P.; Chung, H. [KAERI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

2005-11-15

Pt/SDBC catalyst, which is used for the hydrogen-water isotopic exchange reaction, was prepared. The various properties of the catalyst, such as the thermal stability, pore structure and the platinum dispersion, were investigated. A hydrophobic Pt/SDBC catalyst which has been developed for the LPCE column of the WTRF (Wolsong Tritium Removal Facility) was tested in a trickle bed reactor. An experimental apparatus was built for the test of the catalyst at various temperatures and gas velocities.

Hydrophobic catalyst mixture for the isotopic exchange reaction between hydrogen and water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paek, S.; Ahn, D. H.; Choi, H. J.; Kim, K. R.; Lee, M.; Yim, S. P.; Chung, H.

2005-01-01

Pt/SDBC catalyst, which is used for the hydrogen-water isotopic exchange reaction, was prepared. The various properties of the catalyst, such as the thermal stability, pore structure and the platinum dispersion, were investigated. A hydrophobic Pt/SDBC catalyst which has been developed for the LPCE column of the WTRF (Wolsong Tritium Removal Facility) was tested in a trickle bed reactor. An experimental apparatus was built for the test of the catalyst at various temperatures and gas velocities

Reuse of Hydrotreating Spent Catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habib, A.M.; Menoufy, M.F.; Amhed, S.H.

2004-01-01

All hydro treating catalysts used in petroleum refining processes gradually lose activity through coking, poisoning by metal, sulfur or halides or lose surface area from sintering at high process temperatures. Waste hydrotreating catalyst, which have been used in re-refining of waste lube oil at Alexandria Petroleum Company (after 5 years lifetime) compared with the same fresh catalyst were used in the present work. Studies are conducted on partial extraction of the active metals of spent catalyst (Mo and Ni) using three leaching solvents,4% oxidized oxalic acid, 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide and 10% citric acid. The leaching experiments are conducting on the de coked extrude [un crushed] spent catalyst samples. These steps are carried out in order to rejuvenate the spent catalyst to be reused in other reactions. The results indicated that 4% oxidized oxalic acid leaching solution gave total metal removal 45.6 for de coked catalyst samples while NaOH gave 35% and citric acid gave 31.9 % The oxidized leaching agent was the most efficient leaching solvent to facilitate the metal removal, and the rejuvenated catalyst was characterized by the unchanged crystalline phase The rejuvenated catalyst was applied for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of vacuum gas oil as a feedstock, under different hydrogen pressure 20-80 bar in order to compare its HDS activity

Development of a Practical Hydrogen Storage System Based on Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers and a Homogeneous Catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, Craig [Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers, LLC, Honolulu, HI (United States); Brayton, Daniel [Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers, LLC, Honolulu, HI (United States); Jorgensen, Scott W. [General Motors, LLC, Warren, MI (United States). Research and Development Center. Chemical and Material Systems Lab.; Hou, Peter [General Motors, LLC, Warren, MI (United States). Research and Development Center. Chemical and Material Systems Lab.

2017-03-24

The objectives of this project were: 1) optimize a hydrogen storage media based on LOC/homogeneous pincer catalyst (carried out at Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers, LLC) and 2) develop space, mass and energy efficient tank and reactor system to house and release hydrogen from the media (carried out at General Motor Research Center).

ALKALI RESISTANT CATALYST

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2008-01-01

The present invention concerns the selective removal of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from gasses. In particular, the invention concerns a process, a catalyst and the use of a catalyst for the selective removal of nitrogen oxides in the presence of ammonia from gases containing a significant amount...... of alkali metal and/or alkali-earth compounds which process comprises using a catalyst combined of (i) a formed porous superacidic support, said superacidic support having an Hammett acidity stronger than Ho=-12, and (ii) a metal oxide catalytic component deposited on said superacidic support selected from...

Regeneration of Pt-catalysts deactivated in municipal waste flue gas with H2/N2 and the effect of regeneration step on the SCR catalyst

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Due-Hansen, Johannes; Rasmussen, Søren Brik; Kustov, Arkady

The deactivation performance of Pt-catalysts for CO oxidation has been studied in relation to use in sewage sludge municipal waste burners, where HMDS was found to poison the industrial catalyst in a similar way to the model Pt/TiO2 catalyst. A promising regeneration procedure was developed based...... on reduction with hydrogen. This procedure had negligible effect on the performance of the SCR catalyst. After treatment with 2% H2, 8% O2 in N2 for one hour, a slight better NO SCR activity was observed due to increase in the concentration V4+ sites. However, after exposure in normal NO SCR gases the activity...

Options and processes for spent catalyst handling and utilization.

Science.gov (United States)

Marafi, M; Stanislaus, A

2003-07-18

The quantity of spent hydroprocessing catalysts discarded as solid wastes in the petroleum refining industries has increased remarkably in recent years due to a rapid growth in the hydroprocessing capacity to meet the rising demand for low-sulfur fuels. Due to their toxic nature, spent hydroprocessing catalysts have been branded as hazardous wastes, and the refiners are experiencing pressure from environmental authorities to handle them safely. Several alternative methods such as reclamation of metals, rejuvenation and reuse, disposal in landfills and preparation of useful materials using spent catalysts as raw materials are available to deal with the spent catalyst problem. The technical feasibility as well as the environmental and economic aspects of these options are reviewed. In addition, details of two bench-scale processes, one for rejuvenation of spent hydroprocessing catalysts, and the other for producing non-leachable synthetic aggregate materials that were developed in this laboratory, are presented in this paper.

Holarchical Systems and Emotional Holons : Biologically-Inspired System Designs for Control of Autonomous Aerial Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Ippolito, Corey; Plice, Laura; Pisanich, Greg

2003-01-01

The BEES (Bio-inspired Engineering for Exploration Systems) for Mars project at NASA Ames Research Center has the goal of developing bio-inspired flight control strategies to enable aerial explorers for Mars scientific investigations. This paper presents a summary of our ongoing research into biologically inspired system designs for control of unmanned autonomous aerial vehicle communities for Mars exploration. First, we present cooperative design considerations for robotic explorers based on the holarchical nature of biological systems and communities. Second, an outline of an architecture for cognitive decision making and control of individual robotic explorers is presented, modeled after the emotional nervous system of cognitive biological systems. Keywords: Holarchy, Biologically Inspired, Emotional UAV Flight Control

Bio-inspired computation in unmanned aerial vehicles

CERN Document Server

Duan, Haibin

2014-01-01

Bio-inspired Computation in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles focuses on the aspects of path planning, formation control, heterogeneous cooperative control and vision-based surveillance and navigation in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from the perspective of bio-inspired computation. It helps readers to gain a comprehensive understanding of control-related problems in UAVs, presenting the latest advances in bio-inspired computation. By combining bio-inspired computation and UAV control problems, key questions are explored in depth, and each piece is content-rich while remaining accessible. With abundant illustrations of simulation work, this book links theory, algorithms and implementation procedures, demonstrating the simulation results with graphics that are intuitive without sacrificing academic rigor. Further, it pays due attention to both the conceptual framework and the implementation procedures. The book offers a valuable resource for scientists, researchers and graduate students in the field of Control, Aeros...

Nature-Inspired Fluid Mechanics Results of the DFG Priority Programme 1207 ”Nature-inspired Fluid Mechanics” 2006-2012

CERN Document Server

Bleckmann, Horst

2012-01-01

This book is the closing report of the national priority program Nature-Inspired Fluid Mechanics (Schwerpunktprogramm SPP 1207: Strömungsbeeinflussung in der Natur und Technik). Nature-inspired fluid mechanics is one subset of biomimetics, a discipline which has received increased attention over the last decade, with numerous faculties and degree courses devoted solely to exploring ‘nature as a model’ for engineering applications. To save locomotion energy, evolution has optimized the design of animals such that friction loss is minimized. In addition to many morphological adaptations, animals that are often exposed to water or air currents have developed special behaviors that allow them to use the energy contained in air or water fluctuations for energy savings. Such flow manipulation and control is not only important for many animals, but also for many engineering applications. Since living beings have been optimized by several million years of evolution it is very likely that many engineering discipl...

Highly active carbon supported Pd cathode catalysts for direct formic acid fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mikolajczuk-Zychora, A., E-mail: amikolajczuk@ichf.edu.pl [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland); Borodzinski, A.; Kedzierzawski, P.; Mierzwa, B. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland); Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka, M. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Wołoska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland); Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warynskiego 1, Warsaw (Poland); Stobinski, L. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland); Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Warynskiego 1, Warsaw (Poland); Ciecierska, E. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Wołoska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland); Zimoch, A.; Opałło, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kasprzaka 44/52, 01-224 Warsaw (Poland)

2016-12-01

Highlights: • Palladium catalyst used on the cathode DFAFC is comparable to commercial platinum catalyst. • The treatment of carbon supports in nitric acid(V) increases the electrochemically available metal surface area and the catalytic activity in oxygen reduction reaction of catalysts. - Abstract: One of the drawbacks of low-temperature fuel cells is high price of platinum-based catalysts used for the electroreduction of oxygen at the cathode of the fuel cell. The aim of this work is to develop the palladium catalyst that will replace commonly used platinum cathode catalysts. A series of palladium catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were prepared and tested on the cathode of Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell (DFAFC). Palladium nanoparticles were deposited on the carbon black (Vulcan) and on multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) surface by reduction of palladium(II) acetate dissolved in ethanol. Hydrazine was used as a reducing agent. The effect of functionalization of the carbon supports on the catalysts physicochemical properties and the ORR catalytic activity on the cathode of DFAFC was studied. The supports were functionalized by treatment in nitric acid for 4 h at 80 °C. The structure of the prepared catalysts has been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Hydrophilicity of the catalytic layers was determined by measuring contact angles of water droplets. The performance of the prepared catalysts has been compared with that of the commercial 20 wt.% Pt/C (Premetek) catalyst. The maximum power density obtained for the best palladium catalyst, deposited on the surface of functionalized carbon black, is the same as that for the commercial Pt/C (Premetek). Palladium is cheaper than platinum, therefore the developed cathode catalyst is promising for future applications.

Dosimetric properties of new formulation of PRESAGE® with tin organometal catalyst: Development of sensitivity and stability to megavoltage energy.

Science.gov (United States)

Khezerloo, Davood; Nedaie, Hassan Ali; Takavar, Abbas; Zirak, Alireza; Farhood, Bagher; Banaee, Nooshin; Alidokht, Eisa

2018-01-01

Tin-base catalyst is one of the widely used organometallic catalysts in polyurethane technology. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of tin organometallic catalyst in the radiation response and radiological properties of a new formula of PRESAGE ® . In the study, two types of PRESAGE were fabricated. A very little amount of dibutyltindillaurate (DBTDL) (0.07% weight) was used as a catalyst in the fabrication of new PRESAGE (i.e., PRESAGE with catalyst), which components were: 93.93% weight polyurethane, 5% weight tetrachloride, and 1% weight leucomalachite green (LMG). For PRESAGE without catalyst, 94% weight polyurethane, 4% weight tetrachloride, and 2% weight LMG were used. Radiochromic response and postirradiation stability of PRESAGEs were determined. Also, radiological characteristics of PRESAGEs, such as mass density, electron density, mass attenuation coefficient, and mass stopping power in different photon energies were assessed and compared with water. The absorption peak of new PRESAGE compared to PRESAGE without catalyst was observed without change. Sensitivity of new PRESAGE was higher than PRESAGE without catalyst and its stability after the first 1 h was relatively constant. Also, Mass attenuation coefficient of new PRESAGE in energy ranges catalyst in very low concentration can be used in fabrication of radiochromic polymer gel to achieve high sensitivity and stability as well as good radiological properties in the megavoltage photon beam.

A biomimetic accelerometer inspired by the cricket's clavate hair

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Droogendijk, H.; de Boer, Meint J.; Sanders, Remco G.P.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.

2014-01-01

Crickets use so-called clavate hairs to sense (gravitational) acceleration to obtain information on their orientation. Inspired by this clavate hair system, a one-axis biomimetic accelerometer has been developed and fabricated using surface micromachining and SU-8 lithography. An analytical model

Health cyberinfrastructure for collaborative use-inspired research and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Chismar, William; Horan, Thomas A; Hesse, Bradford W; Feldman, Sue S; Shaikh, Abdul R

2011-05-01

Rapid advances in information and networking technologies have greatly expanded the modes for conducting business and science. For the past two decades, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been supporting efforts to develop a comprehensive cyberinfrastructure with the goal of transforming the nature of scientific investigations. More recently, the NIH began supporting efforts to develop a cyberinfrastructure of healthcare research and practice. However, the best structure and applications of cyberinfrastructure in health care have yet to be defined. To address these issues, the NIH and the Kay Center for E-Health Research at Claremont Graduate University sponsored a symposium on "Cyberinfrastructure for Public Health and Health Services: Research and Funding Directions." The symposium convened researchers, practitioners, and federal funders to discuss how to further cyberinfrastructure systems and research in the public health and health services sectors. This paper synthesizes findings of the symposium, the goals of which were to determine the dynamics necessary for executing and utilizing cyberinfrastructure in public health and health services; examine the requirements of transdisciplinary collaboration; and identify future research directions. A multi-faceted conception of use-inspired research for cyberinfrastructure is developed. Use-inspired research aims to further basic theory but is grounded, inspired, and informed by practical problems. A cyberinfrastructure framework is presented that incorporates three intersecting dimensions: research-practice, health services-public health, and social-technical dimensions. Within this framework, this paper discusses the ways in which cyberinfrastructure provides opportunities to integrate across these dimensions to develop research and actions that can improve both clinical outcomes and public health. Copyright © 2011 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. All rights reserved.

Thermal and electrochemical stability of tungsten carbide catalyst supports

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chhina, H. [Ballard Power Systems, 9000 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC (Canada); Department of Materials Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada); Campbell, S. [Ballard Power Systems, 9000 Glenlyon Parkway, Burnaby, BC (Canada); Kesler, O. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC (Canada)

2007-02-10

The thermal and electrochemical stability of tungsten carbide (WC), with and without a catalyst dispersed on it, have been investigated to evaluate the potential suitability of the material as an oxidation-resistant catalyst support. Standard techniques currently used to disperse Pt on carbon could not be used to disperse Pt on WC, so an alternative method was developed and used to disperse Pt on both commercially available WC and on carbon for comparison of stability. Electrochemical testing was performed by applying oxidation cycles between +0.6 V and +1.8 V to the support-catalyst material combinations and monitoring the activity of the supported catalyst over 100 oxidation cycles. Comparisons of activity change with cumulative oxidation cycles were made between C and WC supports with comparable loadings of catalyst by weight, solid volume, and powder volume. WC was found to be more thermally and electrochemically stable than currently used carbon support material Vulcan XC-72R. However, further optimization of the particle sizes and dispersion of Pt/WC catalyst/support materials and of comparison standards between new candidate materials and existing carbon-based supports are required. (author)

Paraffin Alkylation Using Zeolite Catalysts in a slurry reactor: Chemical Engineering Principles to Extend Catalyst Lifetime

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong, K.P. de; Mesters, C.M.A.M.; Peferoen, D.G.R.; Brugge, P.T.M. van; Groot, C. de

1996-01-01

The alkylation of isobutane with 2-butene is carried out using a zeolitic catalyst in a well stirred slurry reactor. Whereas application of fixed bed technology using a solid acid alkylation catalyst has in the led to catalysts lifetimes in the range of minutes, in this work we report catalyst

Hydroxide catalysts for lignin depolymerization

Science.gov (United States)

Beckham, Gregg T; Biddy, Mary J.; Kruger, Jacob S.; Chmely, Stephen C.; Sturgeon, Matthew

2017-10-17

Solid base catalysts and their use for the base-catalyzed depolymerization (BCD) of lignin to compounds such as aromatics are presented herein. Exemplary catalysts include layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as recyclable, heterogeneous catalysts for BCD of lignin.

Hydroxide catalysts for lignin depolymerization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beckham, Gregg T.; Biddy, Mary J.; Chmely, Stephen C.; Sturgeon, Matthew

2017-04-25

Solid base catalysts and their use for the base-catalyzed depolymerization (BCD) of lignin to compounds such as aromatics are presented herein. Exemplary catalysts include layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as recyclable, heterogeneous catalysts for BCD of lignin.

Metal-polypyridyl catalysts for electro- and photochemical reduction of water to hydrogen.

Science.gov (United States)

Zee, David Z; Chantarojsiri, Teera; Long, Jeffrey R; Chang, Christopher J

2015-07-21

Climate change, rising global energy demand, and energy security concerns motivate research into alternative, sustainable energy sources. In principle, solar energy can meet the world's energy needs, but the intermittent nature of solar illumination means that it is temporally and spatially separated from its consumption. Developing systems that promote solar-to-fuel conversion, such as via reduction of protons to hydrogen, could bridge this production-consumption gap, but this effort requires invention of catalysts that are cheap, robust, and efficient and that use earth-abundant elements. In this context, catalysts that utilize water as both an earth-abundant, environmentally benign substrate and a solvent for proton reduction are highly desirable. This Account summarizes our studies of molecular metal-polypyridyl catalysts for electrochemical and photochemical reduction of protons to hydrogen. Inspired by concept transfer from biological and materials catalysts, these scaffolds are remarkably resistant to decomposition in water, with fast and selective electrocatalytic and photocatalytic conversions that are sustainable for several days. Their modular nature offers a broad range of opportunities for tuning reactivity by molecular design, including altering ancillary ligand electronics, denticity, and/or incorporating redox-active elements. Our first-generation complex, [(PY4)Co(CH3CN)2](2+), catalyzes the reduction of protons from a strong organic acid to hydrogen in 50% water. Subsequent investigations with the pentapyridyl ligand PY5Me2 furnished molybdenum and cobalt complexes capable of catalyzing the reduction of water in fully aqueous electrolyte with 100% Faradaic efficiency. Of particular note, the complex [(PY5Me2)MoO](2+) possesses extremely high activity and durability in neutral water, with turnover frequencies at least 8500 mol of H2 per mole of catalyst per hour and turnover numbers over 600 000 mol of H2 per mole of catalyst over 3 days at an

Spontaneous water filtration of bio-inspired membrane

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kiwoong; Kim, Hyejeong; Lee, Sang Joon

2016-11-01

Water is one of the most important elements for plants, because it is essential for various metabolic activities. Thus, water management systems of vascular plants, such as water collection and water filtration have been optimized through a long history. In this view point, bio-inspired technologies can be developed by mimicking the nature's strategies for the survival of the fittest. However, most of the underlying biophysical features of the optimized water management systems remain unsolved In this study, the biophysical characteristics of water filtration phenomena in the roots of mangrove are experimentally investigated. To understand water-filtration features of the mangrove, the morphological structures of its roots are analyzed. The electrokinetic properties of the root surface are also examined. Based on the quantitatively analyzed information, filtration of sodium ions in the roots are visualized. Motivated by this mechanism, spontaneous desalination mechanism in the root of mangrove is proposed by combining the electrokinetics and hydrodynamic transportation of ions. This study would be helpful for understanding the water-filtration mechanism of the roots of mangrove and developing a new bio-inspired desalination technology. This research was financially supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (Contract Grant Number: 2008-0061991).

Hydrous titanium oxide-supported catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dosch, R.G.; Stohl, F.V.; Richardson, J.T.

1990-01-01

Catalysts were prepared on hydrous titanium oxide (HTO) supports by ion exchange of an active metal for Na + ions incorporated in the HTO support during preparation by reaction with the parent Ti alkoxide. Strong active metal-HTO interactions as a result of the ion exchange reaction can require significantly different conditions for activation as compared to catalysts prepared by more widely used incipient wetness methods. The latter catalysts typically involve conversion or while the HTO catalysts require the alteration of electrostatic bonds between the metal and support with subsequent alteration of the support itself. In this paper, the authors discuss the activation, via sulfidation or reduction, of catalysts consisting of Co, Mo, or Ni-Mo dispersed on HTO supports by ion exchange. Correlations between the activation process and the hydrogenation, hydrodeoxygenation, and hydrodesulfurization activities of the catalysts are presented

Characterization and Regeneration of Pt-Catalysts Deactivated in Municipal Waste Flue Gas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Søren Birk; Kustov, Arkadii; Due-Hansen, Johannes

2006-01-01

Severe deactivation was observed for industrially aged catalysts used in waste incineration plants and tested in lab-scale. Possible compounds that cause deactivation of these Pt-based CO oxidation catalysts have been studied. Kinetic observations of industrial and model catalysts showed...... that siloxanes were the most severe catalyst poisons, although acidic sulfur compounds also caused deactivation. Furthermore, a method for on-site regeneration without shutdown of the catalytic flue gas cleaning system has been developed, i.e. an addition of H-2/N-2 gas to the off-gas can completely restore...... the activity of the deactivated catalysts. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved....

Methanol conversion to hydrocarbons using modified clinoptilolite catalysts. Investigation of catalyst lifetime and reactivation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hutchings, G J; Themistocleous, T; Copperthwaite, R G

1988-10-17

A study of the deactivation and reactivation of modified clinoptilolite catalysts for methanol conversion to hydrocarbons is reported. Clinoptilolite catalysts, modified by either ammonium ion exchange or hydrochloric acid treatment, exhibit a short useful catalyst lifetime for this reaction (ca. 2-3 h) due to a high rate of coke deposition (3-5.10/sup -3/ g carbon/g catalyst/h). A comparative study of reactivation using oxygen, nitrous oxide and ozone/oxygen as oxidants indicated that nitrous oxide reactivation gives improved catalytic performance when compared to the activity and lifetime of the fresh catalyst. Both oxygen and ozone/oxygen were found to be ineffective for the reactivation of clinoptilolite. Initial studies of in situ on-line reactivation are also described. 3 figs., 15 refs., 4 tabs.

Bio-Inspired Autonomous Communications Systems with Anomaly Detection Monitoring, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — We propose to develop and demonstrate BioComm, a bio-inspired autonomous communications system (ACS) aimed at dynamically reconfiguring and redeploying autonomous...

Magnetic catalyst bodies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teunissen, Wendy; Bol, A.A.; Geus, John W.

1999-01-01

After a discussion about the importance of the size of the catalyst bodies with reactions in the liquid-phase with a suspended catalyst, the possibilities of magnetic separation are dealt with. Deficiencies of the usual ferromagnetic particles are the reactivity and the clustering of the

InSpire to Promote Lung Assessment in Youth: Evolving the Self-Management Paradigms of Young People With Asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Elias, Pierre; Rajan, Nithin O; McArthur, Kara; Dacso, Clifford C

2013-01-01

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood, disproportionately affecting urban, minority, and disadvantaged children. Individualized care plans supported by daily lung-function monitoring can reduce morbidity and mortality. However, despite 20 years of interventions to increase adherence, only 50% of US youth accurately follow their care plans, which leads to millions of preventable hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and sick days every year. We present a feasibility study of a novel, user-centered approach to increasing young people's lung-function monitoring and asthma self-care. Promoting Lung Assessment in Youth (PLAY) helps young people become active managers of their asthma through the Web 2.0 principles of participation, cocreation, and information sharing. Specifically, PLAY combines an inexpensive, portable spirometer with the motivational power and convenience of mobile phones and virtual-community gaming. The objective of this study was to develop and pilot test InSpire, a fully functional interface between a handheld spirometer and an interactive game and individualized asthma-care instant-messaging system housed on a mobile phone. InSpire is an application for mobile smartphones that creates a compelling world in which youth collaborate with their physicians on managing their asthma. Drawing from design-theory on global timer mechanics and role playing, we incentivized completing spirometry maneuvers by making them an engaging part of a game young people would want to play. The data can be sent wirelessly to health specialists and return care recommendations to patients in real-time. By making it portable and similar to applications normally desired by the target demographic, InSpire is able to seamlessly incorporate asthma management into their lifestyle. We describe the development process of building and testing the InSpire prototype. To our knowledge, the prototype is a first-of-its kind mobile one-stop shop for asthma management

Determination of catalyst residues in hydrocarbon fuels by instrumental neutron activation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burgess, D.D.

1982-01-01

A procedure has been developed for the determination of entrained catalytic cracking catalyst in hydrocarbon fuels. Aluminium is measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis and the amount of catalyst present is calculated from the amount of aluminium found and the known composition of the catalyst. Entrained catalyst may be determined at levels above 3 ppm with a precision of +-2%-25% according to sample composition. Only simple procedures are required. Vanadium may reduce sensitivity by dead time and pulse pile-up. No other interferences were observed. (author)

Formic acid decomposition on Pt1/Cu (111) single platinum atom catalyst: Insights from DFT calculations and energetic span model analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ying-Fan; Li, Kun; Wang, Gui-Chang

2018-04-01

Inspired by the recent surface experimental results that the monatomic Pt catalysts has more excellent hydrogen production that Cu(111) surface, the mechanism of decomposition of formic acid on Cu(111) and single atom Pt1/Cu(111) surface was studied by periodic density functional theory calculations in the present work. The results show that the formic acid tends to undergo dehydrogenation on both surfaces to obtain the hydrogen product of the target product, and the selectivity and catalytic activity of Pt1/Cu (111) surface for formic acid dehydrogenation are better. The reason is that the single atom Pt1/Cu(111) catalyst reduces the reaction energy barrier (i.e., HCOO → CO2 + H) of the critical step of the dehydrogenation reaction due to the fact that the single atom Pt1/Cu(111) catalyst binds formate weakly compared to that of Cu (111) one. Moreover, it was found that the Pt1/Cu (111) binds CO more strongly than that of Cu (111) one and thus leading to the difficult for the formation of CO. These two factors would make the single Pt atom catalyst had the high selectivity for the H2 production. It is hoped that the present work may help people to design the efficient H2 production from HCOOH decomposition by reduce the surface binding strength of HCOO species, for example, using the low coordination number active site like single atom or other related catalytic system.

High throughput experimentation for the discovery of new catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomson, S.; Hoffmann, C.; Johann, T.; Wolf, A.; Schmidt, H.-W.; Farrusseng, D.; Schueth, F.

2002-01-01

Full text: The use of combinatorial chemistry to obtain new materials has been developed extensively by the pharmaceutical and biochemical industries, but such approaches have been slow to impact on the field of heterogeneous catalysis. The reasons for this lie in with difficulties associated in the synthesis, characterisation and determination of catalytic properties of such materials. In many synthetic and catalytic reactions, the conditions used are difficult to emulate using High Throughput Experimentation (HTE). Furthermore, the ability to screen these catalysts simultaneously in real time, requires the development and/or modification of characterisation methods. Clearly, there is a need for both high throughput synthesis and screening of new and novel reactions, and we describe several new concepts that help to achieve these goals. Although such problems have impeded the development of combinatorial catalysis, the fact remains that many highly attractive processes still exist for which no suitable catalysts have been developed. The ability to decrease the tiFme needed to evaluate catalyst is therefore essential and this makes the use of high throughput techniques highly desirable. In this presentation we will describe the synthesis, catalytic testing, and novel screening methods developed at the Max Planck Institute. Automated synthesis procedures, performed by the use of a modified Gilson pipette robot, will be described, as will the development of two 16 and 49 sample fixed bed reactors and two 25 and 29 sample three phase reactors for catalytic testing. We will also present new techniques for the characterisation of catalysts and catalytic products using standard IR microscopy and infrared focal plane array detection, respectively

Online screening of homogeneous catalyst performance using reaction detection mass spectrometry

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martha, C.T.; Elders, N.; Krabbe, J.G.; Kool, J.; Niessen, W.M.A.; Orru, R.V.A.; Irth, H.

2008-01-01

An integrated online screening system was developed to rapidly screen homogeneous catalysts for activity toward a selected synthesis. The continuous-flow system comprises standard HPLC pumps for the delivery of substrates, an HPLC autosampler for the injection of homogeneous catalysts, a

Highly active carbon supported Pd cathode catalysts for direct formic acid fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Mikolajczuk-Zychora, A.; Borodzinski, A.; Kedzierzawski, P.; Mierzwa, B.; Mazurkiewicz-Pawlicka, M.; Stobinski, L.; Ciecierska, E.; Zimoch, A.; Opałło, M.

2016-12-01

One of the drawbacks of low-temperature fuel cells is high price of platinum-based catalysts used for the electroreduction of oxygen at the cathode of the fuel cell. The aim of this work is to develop the palladium catalyst that will replace commonly used platinum cathode catalysts. A series of palladium catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) were prepared and tested on the cathode of Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell (DFAFC). Palladium nanoparticles were deposited on the carbon black (Vulcan) and on multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) surface by reduction of palladium(II) acetate dissolved in ethanol. Hydrazine was used as a reducing agent. The effect of functionalization of the carbon supports on the catalysts physicochemical properties and the ORR catalytic activity on the cathode of DFAFC was studied. The supports were functionalized by treatment in nitric acid for 4 h at 80 °C. The structure of the prepared catalysts has been characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Hydrophilicity of the catalytic layers was determined by measuring contact angles of water droplets. The performance of the prepared catalysts has been compared with that of the commercial 20 wt.% Pt/C (Premetek) catalyst. The maximum power density obtained for the best palladium catalyst, deposited on the surface of functionalized carbon black, is the same as that for the commercial Pt/C (Premetek). Palladium is cheaper than platinum, therefore the developed cathode catalyst is promising for future applications.

Design, synthesis, and characterization of novel fine-particle, unsupported catalysts for coal liquefaction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, M.T.

1991-12-30

The purpose of this work is to investigate the kinetics-assisted design, synthesis and characterization of fme-pardcle, unsupported catalysts for coal liquefaction. The goal is to develop a fundamental understanding of coal catalysis and catalysts that will, in turn, allow for the specification of a novel optimal catalyst for coal liquefaction.

Technology development for iron F-T catalysts. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frame, R.R.; Gala, H.B.

1994-08-01

The objectives of this work were twofold. The first objective was to design and construct a pilot plant for preparing precipitated iron oxide F-T precursors and demonstrate that the rate of production from this plant is equivalent to 100 lbs/day of dried metal oxide. Secondly, these precipitates were to be used to prepare catalysts capable of achieving 88% CO + H{sub 2} conversion with {le} 5 mole percent selectivity to methane + ethane.

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis over Iron Manganese Catalysts: Effect of Preparation and Operating Conditions on Catalyst Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali A. Mirzaei

2009-01-01

molar basis which is the most active catalyst for the conversion of synthesis gas to light olefins. The effects of different promoters and supports with loading of optimum support on the catalytic performance of catalysts are also studied. It was found that the catalyst containing 50%Fe/50%Mn/5 wt.%Al2O3 is an optimum-modified catalyst. The catalytic performance of optimal catalyst has been studied in operation conditions such as a range of reaction temperatures, H2/CO molar feed ratios and a range of total pressures. Characterization of both precursors and calcined catalysts is carried out by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, BET specific surface area and thermal analysis methods such as TGA and DSC.

Quantum-Inspired Multidirectional Associative Memory With a Self-Convergent Iterative Learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Masuyama, Naoki; Loo, Chu Kiong; Seera, Manjeevan; Kubota, Naoyuki

2018-04-01

Quantum-inspired computing is an emerging research area, which has significantly improved the capabilities of conventional algorithms. In general, quantum-inspired hopfield associative memory (QHAM) has demonstrated quantum information processing in neural structures. This has resulted in an exponential increase in storage capacity while explaining the extensive memory, and it has the potential to illustrate the dynamics of neurons in the human brain when viewed from quantum mechanics perspective although the application of QHAM is limited as an autoassociation. We introduce a quantum-inspired multidirectional associative memory (QMAM) with a one-shot learning model, and QMAM with a self-convergent iterative learning model (IQMAM) based on QHAM in this paper. The self-convergent iterative learning enables the network to progressively develop a resonance state, from inputs to outputs. The simulation experiments demonstrate the advantages of QMAM and IQMAM, especially the stability to recall reliability.

Deactivation and regeneration of refinery catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furimsky, E.

1979-08-01

A discussion covers the mechanisms of catalyst aging, poisoning, coke deposition, and metals deposition; feedstock pretreatment to extend catalyst life; the effects of operating conditions; the effects of catalyst composition and structure on its stability; nonchemical deactivation processes; and methods of catalyst regeneration, including coke burn-off and solvent extraction.

Performance characterization of hydrogen isotope exchange and recombination catalysts for tritium processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suppiah, S.; Ryland, D.; Marcinkowska, K.; Boniface, H.; Everatt, A.

2010-01-01

AECL's hydrogen isotope exchange catalyst and recombination catalysts have been successfully applied to a wide range of industrial tritium-removal applications. The catalysts are used for Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange (LPCE) and for gas-phase and trickle-bed recombination of hydrogen isotopes and have led to process simplification, improved safety and operational advantages. Catalyst performance design equations derived from laboratory testing of these catalysts have been validated against performance under industrial conditions. In a Combined Electrolysis and Catalytic Exchange (CECE) demonstration plant analyses of LPCE and recombiner efficiency were carried out as a function of catalyst activity over a wide range of operation. A steady-state process simulation used to model and design the hydrogen-water isotopic exchange processes, such as the CECE detritiation plant, was validated using the results of this demonstration. Catalyst development for isotope-exchange and recombination applications has continued over the last decade. As a result, significant improvements in catalyst performance have been achieved for these applications. This paper outlines the uniqueness of AECL's specialized catalysts and process designs for these applications with examples from laboratory and industrial case studies.

Catalyst layers for PEMFC manufactured by flexography printing process: performances and structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bois, C.; Blayo, A.; Chaussy, D. [Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Science and Graphic Arts (LGP2) (UMR 5518 CNRS-CTP-INPG), Grenoble Institute of Technology (INP Grenoble - PAGORA), St Martin d' Heres (France); Vincent, R.; Mercier, A.G.; Nayoze, C. [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA)/DRT/LITEN, Laboratoire des Composants Piles a Combustible, Electrolyse et Modelisation (LCPEM), Grenoble (France)

2012-04-15

This article focuses on the potential of a classic printing process, flexography, for manufacturing proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) are produced by deposition of a water-based catalyst ink on a gas diffusion layer (GDL). The affinity between the ink and the GDL is quantified. Thus, the strong hydrophobic character of the GDL and the poor printability of the ink are demonstrated. However, the permeability of the GDL allows developing a multilayer protocol. The deposition by superimposition of ink layers allows control of the platinum amount and to obtain catalyst layers with a similar density of platinum nanoparticles to coated samples. At similar platinum loading, flexography and coating made catalyst layers offer similar performances, which confirm the relevance of flexography in catalyst layer manufacturing. Structural characterization shows that manufacturing protocol and process has an influence on catalyst layer microstructure. However, catalyst layer cracking and aggregation are increased with the catalyst layer thickness, diminishing the charge and gas diffusion into the catalyst layer resulting in performance degradation. Consequently, a catalyst layer with 0.46 mgPt cm{sup -2} reaches similar performances to catalyst layers with 1.77 and 2.01 times less platinum loading. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Advanced technologies in biodiesel new advances in designed and optimized catalysts

CERN Document Server

Islam, Aminul

2015-01-01

The inadequacy of fossil fuel is the main driving force of the future sustainable energy around the world. Since heterogeneous catalysis is used in chemical industry for biodiesel production, achieving optimal catalytic performance is a significant issue for chemical engineers and chemists. Enormous attention has been placed in recent years on the selection of heterogeneous catalyst in biodiesel industry, where the catalyst could be facilitated highly selective toward desired products, easily handled, separated from the reaction medium, and subsequently reused. This book stresses an overview on the contributions of tailored solid acid and base catalysts to catalytic biodiesel synthesis, and the in uences of heterogeneous catalyst properties on biodiesel yield in order to develop a better understanding of catalyst design for the green production process as well as practical applications in the biodiesel industry.

Oxidative desulfurization of synthetic diesel using supported catalysts. Part 3. Support effect on vanadium-based catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cedeno-Caero, Luis; Gomez-Bernal, Hilda; Fraustro-Cuevas, Adriana; Guerra-Gomez, Hector D.; Cuevas-Garcia, Rogelio [UNICAT, Facultad de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Cd. Universitaria 04510, Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

2008-04-15

Oxidesulfurization (ODS) of benzothiophenic compounds prevailing in diesel was conducted with hydrogen peroxide in presence of various catalysts, using a model diesel and actual diesel fuel. ODS activities of dibenzothiophenes (DBTs) in hexadecane for a series of V{sub 2}O{sub 5} catalysts supported on alumina, titania, ceria, niobia and silica, were evaluated. Results show that the oxidation activity of DBTs depends on the support used. It was observed that the sulfone yield is not proportional to textural properties or V content. For all catalysts, ODS of benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT), 4-methyl dibenzothiophene (4-MDBT) and 4,6-dimethyl dibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) decreased in the following order: DBT > 4-MDBT > 4,6-DMDBT > BT. This trend does not depend on the catalyst used or the textural properties of the catalysts and supports. In presence of indole ODS activities diminish, except with catalysts supported on alumina-titania mixed oxide, whereas with V{sub 2}O{sub 5}/TiO{sub 2} catalyst the performance is the highest. ODS of Mexican diesel fuel was carried out in presence of this catalyst and S level was diminished in about 99%. (author)

Creating a Bio-Inspired Solution to Prevent Erosion

Science.gov (United States)

Reher, R.; Martinez, A.; Cola, J.; Frost, D.

2016-12-01

Through the study of geophysical sciences, lessons can be developed which allow for the introduction of bio-inspired design and art concepts to K-5 elementary students. Students are placed into an engineering mindset in which they must apply the concepts of bio-geotechnics to observe how we can use nature to prevent and abate erosion. Problems are staged for students using realistic engineering scenarios such as erosion prevention through biomimicry and the study of anchorage characteristics of root structures in regard to stability of soil. Specifically, a lesson is introduced where students research, learn, and present information about bio-inspired designs to understand these concepts. They lean how plant roots differ in size and shape to stabilize soil. In addition, students perform a series of hands-on experiments which demonstrate how bio-cements and roots can slow erosion.

Autothermal reforming catalyst having perovskite structure

Science.gov (United States)

Krumpel, Michael [Naperville, IL; Liu, Di-Jia [Naperville, IL

2009-03-24

The invention addressed two critical issues in fuel processing for fuel cell application, i.e. catalyst cost and operating stability. The existing state-of-the-art fuel reforming catalyst uses Rh and platinum supported over refractory oxide which add significant cost to the fuel cell system. Supported metals agglomerate under elevated temperature during reforming and decrease the catalyst activity. The catalyst is a perovskite oxide or a Ruddlesden-Popper type oxide containing rare-earth elements, catalytically active firs row transition metal elements, and stabilizing elements, such that the catalyst is a single phase in high temperature oxidizing conditions and maintains a primarily perovskite or Ruddlesden-Popper structure under high temperature reducing conditions. The catalyst can also contain alkaline earth dopants, which enhance the catalytic activity of the catalyst, but do not compromise the stability of the perovskite structure.

Isotope exchange in oxide-containing catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Kenneth G. (Inventor); Upchurch, Billy T. (Inventor); Hess, Robert V. (Inventor); Miller, Irvin M. (Inventor); Schryer, David R. (Inventor); Sidney, Barry D. (Inventor); Wood, George M. (Inventor); Hoyt, Ronald F. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A method of exchanging rare-isotope oxygen for common-isotope oxygen in the top several layers of an oxide-containing catalyst is disclosed. A sample of an oxide-containing catalyst is exposed to a flowing stream of reducing gas in an inert carrier gas at a temperature suitable for the removal of the reactive common-isotope oxygen atoms from the surface layer or layers of the catalyst without damaging the catalyst structure. The reduction temperature must be higher than any at which the catalyst will subsequently operate. Sufficient reducing gas is used to allow removal of all the reactive common-isotope oxygen atoms in the top several layers of the catalyst. The catalyst is then reoxidized with the desired rare-isotope oxygen in sufficient quantity to replace all of the common-isotope oxygen that was removed.

Radio-Frequency-Controlled Urea Dosing for NH₃-SCR Catalysts: NH₃ Storage Influence to Catalyst Performance under Transient Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, Markus; Hagen, Gunter; Reitmeier, Willibald; Burger, Katharina; Hien, Markus; Grass, Philippe; Kubinski, David; Visser, Jaco; Moos, Ralf

2017-11-28

Current developments in exhaust gas aftertreatment led to a huge mistrust in diesel driven passenger cars due to their NO x emissions being too high. The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) with ammonia (NH₃) as reducing agent is the only approach today with the capability to meet upcoming emission limits. Therefore, the radio-frequency-based (RF) catalyst state determination to monitor the NH₃ loading on SCR catalysts has a huge potential in emission reduction. Recent work on this topic proved the basic capability of this technique under realistic conditions on an engine test bench. In these studies, an RF system calibration for the serial type SCR catalyst Cu-SSZ-13 was developed and different approaches for a temperature dependent NH₃ storage were determined. This paper continues this work and uses a fully calibrated RF-SCR system under transient conditions to compare different directly measured and controlled NH₃ storage levels, and NH₃ target curves. It could be clearly demonstrated that the right NH₃ target curve, together with a direct control on the desired level by the RF system, is able to operate the SCR system with the maximum possible NO x conversion efficiency and without NH₃ slip.

Nanoparticular metal oxide/anatase catalysts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

The present invention concerns a method of preparation of nanoparticular metal oxide catalysts having a narrow particle size distribution. In particular, the invention concerns preparation of nanoparticular metal oxide catalyst precursors comprising combustible crystallization seeds upon which...... the catalyst metai oxide is co-precipitated with the carrier metal oxide, which crystallization seeds are removed by combustion in a final calcining step. The present invention also concerns processes wherein the nanoparticular metal oxide catalysts of the invention are used, such as SCR (deNOx) reactions...

Life Support Catalyst Regeneration Using Ionic Liquids and In Situ Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Abney, Morgan B.; Karr, Laurel; Paley, Mark S.; Donovan, David N.

2016-01-01

Oxygen recovery from metabolic carbon dioxide is an enabling capability for long-duration manned space flight. Complete recovery of oxygen (100%) involves the production of solid carbon. Catalytic approaches for this purpose, such as Bosch technology, have been limited in trade analyses due in part to the mass penalty for high catalyst resupply caused by carbon fouling of the iron or nickel catalyst. In an effort to mitigate this challenge, several technology approaches have been proposed. These approaches have included methods to prolong the life of the catalysts by increasing the total carbon mass loading per mass catalyst, methods for simplified catalyst introduction and removal to limit the resupply container mass, methods of using in situ resources, and methods to regenerate catalyst material. Research and development into these methods is ongoing, but only use of in situ resources and/or complete regeneration of catalyst material has the potential to entirely eliminate the need for resupply. The use of ionic liquids provides an opportunity to combine these methods in a technology approach designed to eliminate the need for resupply of oxygen recovery catalyst. Here we describe the results of an initial feasibility study using ionic liquids and in situ resources for life support catalyst regeneration, we discuss the key challenges with the approach, and we propose future efforts to advance the technology.

Green nano-catalyst for methanolysis of non-edible Jatropha oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teo, Siow Hwa; Rashid, Umer; Taufiq-Yap, Yun Hin

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A green nano heterogeneous base catalyst was prepared from CaO. • Transesterified Jatropha curcas oil achieved 95% of biodiesel yield at 65 °C. • Parameters affecting catalyst reaction were optimized. • Biodiesel produced was satisfied the International biodiesel standards. - Abstract: Non-edible feedstocks are regarded as a sustainable source of renewable energy. In order to find renewable, cheaper and easier methods to obtain energy, attention has been paid to develop potential green catalyst to produce renewable biodiesel. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) results in combination with thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis (TG–DTA), Brunauer–Emmer–Teller (BET), Fourier transfrom-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM analysis depicted that calcium methoxide (Ca(OCH 3 ) 2 ) catalysts were in size of 34.7 nm. The reaction parameters namely; reaction time, methanol/oil molar ratio, catalyst dosage were investigated for fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) yield. The highest biodiesel yield (95%) was appraised under the optimum condition (i.e. catalyst amount of 2 wt.%; methanol/oil molar ratio of 15:1, reaction time of 90 min). The Ca(OCH 3 ) 2 phase of catalyst can be regarded as an active phase to get high yield of biodiesel which was confirmed from characterization study. Furthermore, important fuel properties were also investigated and satisfied the ASTM D6751 and European 14214 biodiesel standards. Thus, Ca(OCH 3 ) 2 catalyst prepared in this study was having efficient, low toxicity, cost effective and easy to prepare for green fuels production especially biodiesel

Oxygen-reducing catalyst layer

Science.gov (United States)

O'Brien, Dennis P [Maplewood, MN; Schmoeckel, Alison K [Stillwater, MN; Vernstrom, George D [Cottage Grove, MN; Atanasoski, Radoslav [Edina, MN; Wood, Thomas E [Stillwater, MN; Yang, Ruizhi [Halifax, CA; Easton, E Bradley [Halifax, CA; Dahn, Jeffrey R [Hubley, CA; O'Neill, David G [Lake Elmo, MN

2011-03-22

An oxygen-reducing catalyst layer, and a method of making the oxygen-reducing catalyst layer, where the oxygen-reducing catalyst layer includes a catalytic material film disposed on a substrate with the use of physical vapor deposition and thermal treatment. The catalytic material film includes a transition metal that is substantially free of platinum. At least one of the physical vapor deposition and the thermal treatment is performed in a processing environment comprising a nitrogen-containing gas.

Research advances in the catalysts for the selective oxidation of ethane to aldehydes

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

ZHANG Zhe; ZHAO Zhen; XU Chunming

2005-01-01

Selective oxidation of ethane to aldehydes is one of the most difficult processes in the catalysis researches of low alkanes. The development of selective oxidation of ethane to aldehydes (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein) is discussed. The latest progress of the catalysts, including bulk or supported metal oxide catalysts, highly dispersed and isolated active sites catalysts, and the photo-catalytic ethane oxidation catalysts, partial oxidation of ethane in the gas phase, and the proposed reaction pathways from ethane to aldehydes are involved.

eDNA: A Bio-Inspired Reconfigurable Hardware Cell Architecture Supporting Self-organisation and Self-healing

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boesen, Michael Reibel; Madsen, Jan

2009-01-01

This paper presents the concept of a biological inspired reconfigurable hardware cell architecture which supports self-organisation and self-healing. Two fundamental processes in biology, namely fertilization-to-birth and cell self-healing have inspired the development of this cell architecture...... to simulate our self-organisation and self-healing algorithms and the results obtained from this looks promising....

Catalysis by nonmetals rules for catalyst selection

CERN Document Server

Krylov, Oleg V

1970-01-01

Catalysis by Non-metals: Rules of Catalyst Selection presents the development of scientific principles for the collection of catalysts. It discusses the investigation of the mechanism of chemosorption and catalysis. It addresses a series of properties of solid with catalytic activity. Some of the topics covered in the book are the properties of a solid and catalytic activity in oxidation-reduction reactions; the difference of electronegativities and the effective charges of atoms; the role of d-electrons in the catalytic properties of a solid; the color of solids; and proton-acid and proton-ba

Design criteria for stable Pt/C fuel cell catalysts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josef C. Meier

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Platinum and Pt alloy nanoparticles supported on carbon are the state of the art electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. To develop a better understanding on how material design can influence the degradation processes on the nanoscale, three specific Pt/C catalysts with different structural characteristics were investigated in depth: a conventional Pt/Vulcan catalyst with a particle size of 3–4 nm and two Pt@HGS catalysts with different particle size, 1–2 nm and 3–4 nm. Specifically, Pt@HGS corresponds to platinum nanoparticles incorporated and confined within the pore structure of the nanostructured carbon support, i.e., hollow graphitic spheres (HGS. All three materials are characterized by the same platinum loading, so that the differences in their performance can be correlated to the structural characteristics of each material. The comparison of the activity and stability behavior of the three catalysts, as obtained from thin film rotating disk electrode measurements and identical location electron microscopy, is also extended to commercial materials and used as a basis for a discussion of general fuel cell catalyst design principles. Namely, the effects of particle size, inter-particle distance, certain support characteristics and thermal treatment on the catalyst performance and in particular the catalyst stability are evaluated. Based on our results, a set of design criteria for more stable and active Pt/C and Pt-alloy/C materials is suggested.

Graphene-supported platinum catalysts for fuel cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seselj, Nedjeljko; Engelbrekt, Christian; Zhang, Jingdong

2015-01-01

Increasing concerns with non-renewable energy sources drive research and development of sustainable energy technology. Fuel cells have become a central part in solving challenges associated with energy conversion. This review summarizes recent development of catalysts used for fuel cells over the...

Nanohairs and nanotubes: Efficient structural elements for gecko-inspired artificial dry adhesives

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Hoon Eui

2009-08-01

An overview of the recent progress in the development of gecko-inspired synthetic dry adhesives is presented, with particular emphasis on two major structural elements of nanohairs and nanotubes. With the advance of nanofabrication techniques, recently developed dry adhesives made of nanohairs and nanotubes show excellent adhesion strength, smart directional adhesion as well as rough surface adaptability by better mimicking gecko foot hairs. After a brief description of the requirements for high-performance artificial dry adhesives, a variety of synthetic adhesives are described based on materials and structural features of the gecko-inspired nanostructures. In addition, current challenges and future directions towards an optimized synthetic dry adhesive are presented. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanohairs and nanotubes: Efficient structural elements for gecko-inspired artificial dry adhesives

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Hoon Eui; Suh, Kahp Y.

2009-01-01

An overview of the recent progress in the development of gecko-inspired synthetic dry adhesives is presented, with particular emphasis on two major structural elements of nanohairs and nanotubes. With the advance of nanofabrication techniques, recently developed dry adhesives made of nanohairs and nanotubes show excellent adhesion strength, smart directional adhesion as well as rough surface adaptability by better mimicking gecko foot hairs. After a brief description of the requirements for high-performance artificial dry adhesives, a variety of synthetic adhesives are described based on materials and structural features of the gecko-inspired nanostructures. In addition, current challenges and future directions towards an optimized synthetic dry adhesive are presented. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Supported Catalysts for CO2 Methanation: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrizia Frontera

2017-02-01

Full Text Available CO2 methanation is a well-known reaction that is of interest as a capture and storage (CCS process and as a renewable energy storage system based on a power-to-gas conversion process by substitute or synthetic natural gas (SNG production. Integrating water electrolysis and CO2 methanation is a highly effective way to store energy produced by renewables sources. The conversion of electricity into methane takes place via two steps: hydrogen is produced by electrolysis and converted to methane by CO2 methanation. The effectiveness and efficiency of power-to-gas plants strongly depend on the CO2 methanation process. For this reason, research on CO2 methanation has intensified over the last 10 years. The rise of active, selective, and stable catalysts is the core of the CO2 methanation process. Novel, heterogeneous catalysts have been tested and tuned such that the CO2 methanation process increases their productivity. The present work aims to give a critical overview of CO2 methanation catalyst production and research carried out in the last 50 years. The fundamentals of reaction mechanism, catalyst deactivation, and catalyst promoters, as well as a discussion of current and future developments in CO2 methanation, are also included.

Nature as inspiration for leisure education

OpenAIRE

ŠPIRHANZLOVÁ, Andrea

2017-01-01

The thesis deals with the organization of leisure activities where the main tool and inspiration is nature. The theoretical part defines basic concepts of pedagogy of free time and points to the possibility of using nature as an inspiration not only for creating content components of leisure activities, but also as the environment in which the pedagogical - educational process of activities takes place. The practical part contains specific pedagogical - educational activity whose essence is b...

Metal catalysts fight back

OpenAIRE

George Marsh

1998-01-01

In recent years organometallic catalysts, especially metallocenes, have been a major focus of attention in terms of polymerisation chemistry. But the news earlier this year of a family of iron-based catalysts able to rival the effectiveness of both conventional and metallocene catalysts in the polymerisation of ethylene has excited the plastics industry. Because of the impact of this discovery and its potential as a route to lower-priced commodity plastics in the future, it may be useful at t...

The human hand as an inspiration for robot hand development

CERN Document Server

Santos, Veronica

2014-01-01

“The Human Hand as an Inspiration for Robot Hand Development” presents an edited collection of authoritative contributions in the area of robot hands. The results described in the volume are expected to lead to more robust, dependable, and inexpensive distributed systems such as those endowed with complex and advanced sensing, actuation, computation, and communication capabilities. The twenty-four chapters discuss the field of robotic grasping and manipulation viewed in light of the human hand’s capabilities and push the state-of-the-art in robot hand design and control. Topics discussed include human hand biomechanics, neural control, sensory feedback and perception, and robotic grasp and manipulation. This book will be useful for researchers from diverse areas such as robotics, biomechanics, neuroscience, and anthropologists.

Hydrotreating catalyst deactivation by coke from SRC-II oil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamamoto, Y.; Kumata, F.; Massoth, F.E.

1988-10-01

Samples of a CoMo/Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ catalyst were partially deactivated with SRC-II feed in an autoclave reactor to give coked samples of 5 to 18% C. The coked catalysts were analyzed for surface area, pore volume, coronene adsorption and diffusivity, and their catalytic activity determined for hydrodesulfurization (HDS), hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) and C-N hydrogenolysis (CNH) using model compounds. All of the above measurements decreased with increase in coke content. Property data indicate that some pores are blocked by coke and diffusivity results show narrowing of pore mouths with increasing coke content. Catalyst deactivation versus coke level was identical for HDS and HDO, but less for CNH. A simple model of coke deactivation was developed to relate activity to coke content. Coke is envisioned as forming wedge-like deposits in the catalyst pores. 11 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.

Evaluating the INSPIRE measure of staff support for personal recovery in a Swedish psychiatric context.

Science.gov (United States)

Schön, Ulla-Karin; Svedberg, Petra; Rosenberg, David

2015-05-01

Recovery is understood to be an individual process that cannot be controlled, but can be supported and facilitated at the individual, organizational and system levels. Standardized measures of recovery may play a critical role in contributing to the development of a recovery-oriented system. The INSPIRE measure is a 28-item service user-rated measure of recovery support. INSPIRE assesses both the individual preferences of the user in the recovery process and their experience of support from staff. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the INSPIRE measure, for potential use in Swedish mental health services and in order to promote recovery in mental illness. The sample consisted of 85 participants from six community mental health services targeting people with a diagnosis of psychosis in a municipality in Sweden. For the test-retest evaluation, 78 participants completed the questionnaire 2 weeks later. The results in the present study indicate that the Swedish version of the INSPIRE measure had good face and content validity, satisfactory internal consistency and some level of instability in test-retest reliability. While further studies that test the instrument in a larger and more diverse clinical context are needed, INSPIRE can be considered a relevant and feasible instrument to utilize in supporting the development of a recovery-oriented system in Sweden.

Anti-bacteria activity of carbon nanotubes grown on trimetallic catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Ibrahim, S. O.; Abdulkareem, A. S.; Isah, K. U.; Ahmadu, U.; Bankole, M. T.; Kariim, I.

2018-06-01

Trimetallic catalyst was prepared using wet impregnation method to produce carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through the method of catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD). Characterization of the developed catalyst and CNTs were carried out using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), x-ray diffraction (XRD), specific surface area Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM)/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM)/selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The BET and TGA analysis indicated that the catalyst has a high surface area and is thermally stable. The FTIR of the developed catalyst shows notable functional group with presence of unbound water. The HRSEM of the catalyst revealed agglomerated, homogeneous and porous particles while the HRSEM/HRTEM of the produced CNTs gave the formation of long strand of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and homogeneous crystalline fringe like structure with irregular diameter. EDS revealed the dominance of carbon in the elemental composition. XRD/SAED patterns of the catalyst suggest high dispersion of the metallic particles in the catalyst mixture while that of the CNTs confirmed that the produced MWCNTs were highly graphitized and crystalline in nature with little structural defects. The anti-bacteria activity of the produced MWCNTs on Klebsiella pneumoneae, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was also carried out. It was observed that the produced MWCNTs have an inhibitory property on bacteria; Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoneae from zero day ( and ) through to twelfth day (Nil count) respectively. It has no effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa with too numerous to count at zero-sixth day, but a breakdown in its growth at ninth-twelfth day (). This study implied that MWCNTs with varying diameter and well-ordered nano-structure can be produced from catalyst via CCVD

Interações hiperfinas em catalisadores metálicos Hyperfine interactions in metallic catalysts

OpenAIRE

Henrique Saitovitch; Paulo R. J. Silva; Fabio B. Passos

2005-01-01

Heterogeneous catalysts are of fundamental importance in several modern chemical processes. The characterization of catalysts is an issue of very present interest as it can provide a better understanding of the fundamental aspects of the catalytic phenomena, thus helping in the development of more efficient catalysts. In order to extend and improve the characterization of catalysts, new and less conventional methods are being applied, such as nuclear spectroscopies. In this paper we focus on ...

Research on catalysts for long-life closed-cycle CO2 laser oaperation

Science.gov (United States)

Sidney, Barry D.; Schryer, David R.; Upchurch, Billy T.; Hess, Robert V.; Wood, George M.

1987-01-01

Long-life, closed-cycle operation of pulsed CO2 lasers requires catalytic CO-O2 recombination both to remove O2, which is formed by discharge-induced CO2 decomposition, and to regenerate CO2. Platinum metal on a tin-oxide substrate (Pt/SnO2) has been found to be an effective catalyst for such recombination in the desired temperature range of 25 to 100 C. This paper presents a description of ongoing research at NASA-Langley on Pt/SnO2 catalyzed CO-O2 recombination. Included are studies with rare-isotope gases since rare-isotope CO2 is desirable as a laser gas for enhanced atmospheric transmission. Results presented include: (1) the effects of various catalyst pretreatment techniques on catalyst efficiency; (2) development of a technique, verified in a 30-hour test, to prevent isotopic scrambling when C(O-18) and (O-18)2 are reacted in the presence of a common-isotope Pt/Sn(O-16)2 catalyst; and (3) development of a mathematical model of a laser discharge prior to catalyst introduction.

Productions of palm oil bio diesel whit heterogeneous basic catalysts compared to conventional homogeneous catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rios, Luis A; Franco C, Alexander; Zuleta S, Ernesto

2009-01-01

The conventional process to produce biodiesel involves the presence of homogeneous basic catalysts. However, these catalysts have disadvantages associated to the need of purification steps, which increase the cost of the final product and generate pollution problems caused by the effluents. This paper compares different homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for the biodiesel production from palm oil. For this, heterogeneous catalysts supported on alumina were prepared and characterized by nitrogen adsorption, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X ray spectroscopy and X ray diffraction. Transesterification of palm oil with methanol was accomplished at 60 celsius degrade and one hour, varying methanol/oil ratio, the type of catalyst and its concentration. Yields of the reaction and purity of the so obtained biodiesel were evaluated. Comparing the catalysts performance, based on the amount, was found that sodium methoxide (CH 3 ONa) and potassium carbonate supported on alumina (K 2 CO 3 /Al 2 O 3 ) were the catalysts that give the higher purity of biodiesel (96.8 and 95.85% respectively). When was determined the active site quality, by dividing the performance by each mole of active sites, it was found that calcined Na 2 SO 4 /Al 2 O 3 has the most active sites.

Co-Production of Ethanol and 1,2-Propanediol via Glycerol Hydrogenolysis Using Ni/Ce–Mg Catalysts: Effects of Catalyst Preparation and Reaction Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Russel N. Menchavez

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Crude glycerol from biodiesel production is a biobased material capable of co-producing biofuels and chemicals. This study aimed to develop a line of Ni catalysts supported on cerium–magnesium (Ce–Mg to improve the process efficiency of glycerol hydrogenolysis for ethanol and 1,2-propanediol (1,2-PDO. Results showed that catalytic activity was greatly improved by changing the preparation method from impregnation to deposition precipitation (DP, and by adjusting calcination temperatures. Prepared via DP, the catalysts of 25 wt % Ni supported on Ce–Mg (9:1 mol/mol greatly improved the effectiveness in glycerol conversion while maintaining the selectivities to ethanol and 1,2-PDO. Calcination at 350 °C provided the catalysts better selectivities of 15.61% to ethanol and 67.93% to 1,2-PDO. Increases in reaction temperature and time improved the conversion of glycerol and the selectivity to ethanol, but reduced the selectivity to 1,2-PDO. A lower initial water content led to a higher conversion of glycerol, but lower selectivities to ethanol and 1,2-PDO. Higher hydrogen application affected the glycerol conversion rate positively, but the selectivities to ethanol and 1,2-PDO negatively. A comparison to the commercial Raney® Ni catalyst showed that the Ni/Ce–Mg catalyst developed in this study showed a better potential for the selective co-production of ethanol and 1,2-PDO from glycerol hydrogenolysis.

A built-in radiotracer (24Na) for measuring circulation catalyst rates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domondon, D.B; Berbano, M.C.

1975-01-01

A local petroleum refinery intended to calibrate its catalyst flow measuring instrument (propeller blade) using the radioactive tracer technique (RTT). For this purpose, a method of incorporating a suitable radiotracer in commercial catalyst beads had to be found. Two methods of labelling are described. One method involved the incorporation of the radiotracer in a gel of the same composition as the commercial catalyst and subsequent conversion of the gel into a from like that of the commercial catalyst beads. Another method utilized the strong adsorptive properties of the commercial catalyst beads for the chosen isotopes, e.g., 144 Cs, 46 Sc. To effect quantitative adsorption, commercial catalyst beads were simply stirred in a slightly acidic (pH4) chloride solution of the radiotracers for some time. The radiotracers were found to distribute almost uniformly over the entire catalyst surface and no evidence of volatilization of the isotopes from the catalyst surface under condition of use in commercial units was observed. Another probable method was suggested by the Research and Development Division, Philippine Atomic Energy Commission. Aluminium is a major component of the ceramic catalyst beads and sodium is present as impurity. Hence, a radiotracer ( 24 Na) can be formed in the beads by the reaction 23 Na (n,gamma) 24 Na, 27 Al (n,alpha) 24 Na. This possible method of simply irradiating the commercial catalyst beads in the reactor thereby inducing the radiotracer. 24 Na in situ fulfils all the criteria for the selection of an appropriate radiotracer. The method is very simple but reliable

Topology Optimization of Lightweight Lattice Structural Composites Inspired by Cuttlefish Bone

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Zhong; Gadipudi, Varun Kumar; Salem, David R.

2018-03-01

Lattice structural composites are of great interest to various industries where lightweight multifunctionality is important, especially aerospace. However, strong coupling among the composition, microstructure, porous topology, and fabrication of such materials impedes conventional trial-and-error experimental development. In this work, a discontinuous carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite was adopted for structural design. A reliable and robust design approach for developing lightweight multifunctional lattice structural composites was proposed, inspired by biomimetics and based on topology optimization. Three-dimensional periodic lattice blocks were initially designed, inspired by the cuttlefish bone microstructure. The topologies of the three-dimensional periodic blocks were further optimized by computer modeling, and the mechanical properties of the topology optimized lightweight lattice structures were characterized by computer modeling. The lattice structures with optimal performance were identified.

Human Brain inspired Artificial Intelligence & Developmental Robotics: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suresh Kumar

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Along with the developments in the field of the robotics, fascinating contributions and developments can be seen in the field of Artificial intelligence (AI. In this paper we will discuss about the developments is the field of artificial intelligence focusing learning algorithms inspired from the field of Biology, particularly large scale brain simulations, and developmental Psychology. We will focus on the emergence of the Developmental robotics and its significance in the field of AI.

Optimal catalyst curves: Connecting density functional theory calculations with industrial reactor design and catalyst selection

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, C.J.H.; Dahl, Søren; Boisen, A.

2002-01-01

For ammonia synthesis catalysts a volcano-type relationship has been found experimentally. We demonstrate that by combining density functional theory calculations with a microkinetic model the position of the maximum of the volcano curve is sensitive to the reaction conditions. The catalytic...... ammonia synthesis activity, to a first approximation, is a function only of the binding energy of nitrogen to the catalyst. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate which nitrogen binding energy is optimal under given reaction conditions. This leads to the concept of optimal catalyst curves, which illustrate...... the nitrogen binding energies of the optimal catalysts at different temperatures, pressures, and synthesis gas compositions. Using this concept together with the ability to prepare catalysts with desired binding energies it is possible to optimize the ammonia process. In this way a link between first...

European workshop on spent catalysts. Book of abstracts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-07-01

In 1999 and 2002 two well attended workshops on recycling, regeneration, reuse and disposal of spent catalysts took place in Frankfurt. This series has been continued in Berlin. The workshop was organized in collaboration with DGMK, the German Society for Petroleum and Coal Science and Technology. Contributions were in the following areas of catalyst deactivation: recycling of spent catalysts in chemical and petrochemical industry, recycling of precious metal catalysts and heterogenous base metal catalysts, legal aspects of transboundary movements, catalyst regeneration, quality control, slurry catalysts, commercial reactivation of hydrotreating catalysts. (uke)

Discovery of fuel cell anode electrocatalysts and dehydrogenation catalysts using combinatorial techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Benny Chun Wai

A gas diffusion optical screening method was developed for the discovery of catalysts for the electro-oxidation of reformate gas (H2 with 100 ppm CO). The screening cell was designed to accommodate a gas diffusion layer, 715 member catalyst array, and an electrolyte container. Since protons are generated during H2 oxidation, a pH sensitive fluorphore was used to identify active compositions. The cell showed no detectable iR drop across the array and ranked activity of two commercial PtRu and one Pt catalysts. Over 95% of a given catalyst fluoresced at the initial onset potential and a 5 mV difference in onset potential of two different catalysts was statistically different. A gas diffusion half cell was designed similar to the optical screening cell to obtain current-potential curves of bulk catalysts. The screening results correlated with half cell and fuel cell data, internally validating the method. The combinatorial method was then applied to search for catalysts in the PtRuMoIrRh composition space. The catalysts on the array were prepared by hydrogen reduction of the metals salts on carbon. The most active catalysts were from the Pt enriched regions of the PtRuMoRh quaternary. Bulk catalysts were prepared from the active regions and tested in the gas diffusion half cell. The most active catalysts in the optical screening were also the most active catalysts in the half cell. When any homemade catalysts were compared to commercial PtRu, however, the performance was worse. A high surface area, high catalyst activity synthetic method is the most important factor to reliably screen catalysts for "real world" fuel cell application. High surface area catalysts were tested for direct methanol oxidation activity. The optical screening method was compared with disk electrode, high throughput fuel cell testing, and fuel cell testing. Six catalysts examined included two commercial PtRu catalysts, a Pt catalyst, and three homemade PtRu catalysts of varying activity

CO methanation over supported bimetallic Ni-Fe catalysts: From computational studies towards catalyst optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kustov, Arkadii; Frey, Anne Mette; Larsen, Kasper Emil

2007-01-01

with compositions 25Fe75Ni and 50Fe50Ni showed significantly better activity and in some cases also a higher selectivity to methane compared with the traditional monometallic Ni and Fe catalysts. A catalyst with composition 25Fe75Ni was found to be the most active in CO hydrogenation for the MgAl2O4 support at low...... metal loadings. At high metal concentrations, the maximum for the methanation activity was found for catalysts with composition 50Ni50Fe both on the MgAl2O4 and Al2O3 supports. This difference can be attributed to a higher reducibility of the constituting metals with increasing metal concentration......DFT calculations combined with a computational screening method have previously shown that bimetallic Ni-Fe alloys should be more active than the traditional Ni-based catalyst for CO methanation. That was confirmed experimentally for a number of bimetallic Ni-Fe catalysts supported on MgAl2O4. Here...

Communication analysis for feedback control of civil infrastructure using cochlea-inspired sensing nodes

Science.gov (United States)

Peckens, Courtney A.; Cook, Ireana; Lynch, Jerome P.

2016-04-01

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have emerged as a reliable, low-cost alternative to the traditional wired sensing paradigm. While such networks have made significant progress in the field of structural monitoring, significantly less development has occurred for feedback control applications. Previous work in WSNs for feedback control has highlighted many of the challenges of using this technology including latency in the wireless communication channel and computational inundation at the individual sensing nodes. This work seeks to overcome some of those challenges by drawing inspiration from the real-time sensing and control techniques employed by the biological central nervous system and in particular the mammalian cochlea. A novel bio-inspired wireless sensor node was developed that employs analog filtering techniques to perform time-frequency decomposition of a sensor signal, thus encompassing the functionality of the cochlea. The node then utilizes asynchronous sampling of the filtered signal to compress the signal prior to communication. This bio-inspired sensing architecture is extended to a feedback control application in order to overcome the traditional challenges currently faced by wireless control. In doing this, however, the network experiences high bandwidths of low-significance information exchange between nodes, resulting in some lost data. This study considers the impact of this lost data on the control capabilities of the bio-inspired control architecture and finds that it does not significantly impact the effectiveness of control.

Comparison of sodium borohydride hydrolysis kinetics on Co-based nanocomposite catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hristov, Georgi; Chorbadzhiyska, Elitsa; Mitov, Mario; Rashkov, Rashko; Hubenova, Yolina

2011-01-01

In this study, we compared the results, obtained with several Co-based nanocomposites (CoMnB, CoNiMnB and CoNiMoW) produced by electrodeposition on Ni-foam, as catalysts for the sodium borohydride hydrolysis reaction. Based on the comparative analyses, we propose CoNiMnB electrodeposits as most suitable catalysts for development of Hydrogen-on-Demand (HOD) system, while CoNiMoW ones as potential anodes for Direct Borohydride Fuel Cells (DBFCs). Keywords: Hydrogen-on-Demand (HOD), Nanocomposites, Hydrolysis, Catalyst, Kinetic

Fischer-Tropsch Cobalt Catalyst Activation and Handling Through Wax Enclosure Methods

Science.gov (United States)

Klettlinger, Jennifer L. S.; Yen, Chia H.; Nakley, Leah M.; Surgenor, Angela D.

2016-01-01

Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) synthesis is considered a gas to liquid process which converts syn-gas, a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, into liquids of various hydrocarbon chain length and product distributions. Cobalt based catalysts are used in F-T synthesis and are the focus of this paper. One key concern with handling cobalt based catalysts is that the active form of catalyst is in a reduced state, metallic cobalt, which oxidizes readily in air. In laboratory experiments, the precursor cobalt oxide catalyst is activated in a fixed bed at 350 ?C then transferred into a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with inert gas. NASA has developed a process which involves the enclosure of active cobalt catalyst in a wax mold to prevent oxidation during storage and handling. This improved method allows for precise catalyst loading and delivery into a CSTR. Preliminary results indicate similar activity levels in the F-T reaction in comparison to the direct injection method. The work in this paper was supported by the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Subsonics Fixed Wing Project.

Catalyst activity maintenance study for the liquid phase dimethyl ether process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, X.D.; Toseland, B.A.; Underwood, R.P. [Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., Allentown, PA (United States)

1995-12-31

The co-production of dimethyl ether (DME) and methanol from syngas is a process of considerable commercial attractiveness. DME coproduction can double the productivity of a LPMEOH process when using coal-derived syngas. This in itself may offer chemical producers and power companies increased flexibility and more profitable operation. DME is also known as a clean burning liquid fuel; Amoco and Haldor-Topsoe have recently announced the use of DME as an alternative diesel fuel. Moreover, DME can be an interesting intermediate in the production of chemicals such as olefins and vinyl acetate. The current APCl liquid phase dimethyl ether (LPDME) process utilizes a physical mixture of a commercial methanol synthesis catalyst and a dehydration catalyst (e.g., {gamma}-alumina). While this arrangement provides a synergy that results in much higher syngas conversion per pass compared to the methanol-only process, the stability of the catalyst system suffers. The present project is aimed at reducing catalyst deactivation both by understanding the cause(s) of catalyst deactivation and by developing modified catalyst systems. This paper describes the current understanding of the deactivation mechanism.

Alkali-Resistant Mechanism of a Hollandite DeNOx Catalyst.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Pingping; Huang, Zhiwei; Gu, Xiao; Xu, Fei; Gao, Jiayi; Wang, Yue; Chen, Yaxin; Tang, Xingfu

2015-06-02

A thorough understanding of the deactivation mechanism by alkalis is of great importance for rationally designing improved alkali-resistant deNOx catalysts, but a traditional ion-exchange mechanism cannot often accurately describe the nature of the deactivation, thus hampering the development of superior catalysts. Here, we establish a new exchange-coordination mechanism on the basis of the exhaustive study on the strong alkali resistance of a hollandite manganese oxide (HMO) catalyst. A combination of isothermal adsorption measurements of ammonia with X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectra reveals that alkali metal ions first react with protons from Brønsted acid sites of HMO via the ion exchange. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction patterns and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectra coupled with theoretical calculations demonstrate that the exchanged alkali metal ions are subsequently stabilized at size-suitable cavities in the HMO pores via a coordination model with an energy savings. This exchange-coordination mechanism not only gives a wholly convincing explanation for the intrinsic nature of the deactivation of the reported catalysts by alkalis but also provides a strategy for rationally designing improved alkali-resistant deNOx catalysts in general.

Epoxidation catalyst and process

Science.gov (United States)

Linic, Suljo; Christopher, Phillip

2010-10-26

Disclosed herein is a catalytic method of converting alkenes to epoxides. This method generally includes reacting alkenes with oxygen in the presence of a specific silver catalyst under conditions suitable to produce a yield of the epoxides. The specific silver catalyst is a silver nanocrystal having a plurality of surface planes, a substantial portion of which is defined by Miller indices of (100). The reaction is performed by charging a suitable reactor with this silver catalyst and then feeding the reactants to the reactor under conditions to carry out the reaction. The reaction may be performed in batch, or as a continuous process that employs a recycle of any unreacted alkenes. The specific silver catalyst has unexpectedly high selectivity for epoxide products. Consequently, this general method (and its various embodiments) will result in extraordinarily high epoxide yields heretofore unattainable.

Environmentally benign catalysts for clean organic reactions

CERN Document Server

Patel, Anjali

2013-01-01

Heterogeneous catalysis attracts researchers and industry because it satisfies most of green chemistry's requirements. Emphasizing the development of third generation catalysts, this book surveys trends and opportunities in academic and industrial research.

Enhanced activity of Pt/CNTs anode catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells using Ni2P as co-catalyst

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Xiang; Luo, Lanping; Peng, Feng; Wang, Hongjuan; Yu, Hao

2018-03-01

The direct methanol fuel cell is a promising energy conversion device because of the utilization of the state-of-the-art platinum (Pt) anode catalyst. In this work, novel Pt/Ni2P/CNTs catalysts were prepared by the H2 reduction method. It was found that the activity and stability of Pt for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) could be significantly enhanced while using nickel phosphide (Ni2P) nanoparticles as co-catalyst. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the existence of Ni2P affected the particle size and electronic distribution of Pt obviously. Pt/CNTs catalyst, Pt/Ni2P/CNTs catalysts with different Ni2P amount were synthesized, among which Pt/6%Ni2P/CNTs catalyst exhibited the best MOR activity of 1400 mAmg-1Pt, which was almost 2.5 times of the commercial Pt/C-JM catalyst. Moreover, compared to other Pt-based catalysts, this novel Pt/Ni2P/CNTs catalyst also exhibited higher onset current density and better steady current density. The result of this work may provide positive guidance to the research on high efficiency and stability of Pt-based catalyst for direct methanol fuel cells.

Rare earth metals for automotive exhaust catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shinjoh, Hirohumi

2006-01-01

The usage of rare earth metals for automotive exhaust catalysts is demonstrated in this paper. Rare earth metals have been widely used in automotive catalysts. In particular, three-way catalysts require the use of ceria compounds as oxygen storage materials, and lanthana as both a stabilizer of alumina and a promoter. The application for diesel catalysts is also illustrated. Effects of inclusion of rare earth metals in automotive catalysts are discussed

Alkaline Ionic Liquid Modified Pd/C Catalyst as an Efficient Catalyst for Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zou Bin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Conversion of HMF into FDCA was carried out by a simple and green process based on alkaline ionic liquid (IL modified Pd/C catalyst (Pd/C-OH−. Alkaline ionic liquids were chosen to optimize Pd/C catalyst for special hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity, redox stability, and unique dissolving abilities for polar compounds. The Pd/C-OH− catalyst was successfully prepared and characterized by SEM, XRD, TG, FT-IR, and CO2-TPD technologies. Loading of alkaline ionic liquid on the surface of Pd/C was 2.54 mmol·g−1. The catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity in the HMF oxidation after optimization of reaction temperature, reaction time, catalyst amount, and solvent. Supported alkaline ionic liquid (IL could be a substitute and promotion for homogeneous base (NaOH. Under optimal reaction conditions, high HMF conversion of 100% and FDCA yield of 82.39% were achieved over Pd/C-OH− catalyst in water at 373 K for 24 h.

Bio-inspired green synthesis of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles using watermelon rinds and their catalytic activity

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, Ch.; Gangadhara, S.; Venkateswarlu, P.

2016-08-01

Novel and bio-inspired magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized using watermelon rinds (WR) which are nontoxic and biodegradable. Watermelon rind extract was used as a solvent and capping and reducing agent in the synthesis. The Fe3o4 MNPs were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and vibrating sample magnetometer techniques (VSM). XRD studies revealed a high degree of crystalline and monophasic Fe nanoparticles of face-centered cubic stricture. FTIR analysis proved that particles are reduced and stabilized in solution by the capping agent that is likely to be proteins secreted by the biomass. The present process in an excellent candidate for the synthesis of iron nanoparticles that is simple, easy to execute, pollutant free and inexpensive. A practical and convenient method for the synthesis of highly stable and small-sized iron nanoparticles with a narrow distribution from 2 to 20 nm is reported. Also, the MNPs present in higher saturation magnetization (Ms) of 14.2 emu/g demonstrate tremendous magnetic response behavior. However, the synthesized iron nanoparticles were used as a catalyst for the preparation of biologically interesting 2-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrimidine derivatives in high yields. These results exhibited that the synthesized Fe3O4 MNPs could be used as a catalyst in organic synthesis.

Biodiesel production from palm oil using active and stable K doped hydroxyapatite catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Guanyi; Shan, Rui; Shi, Jiafu; Liu, Changye; Yan, Beibei

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Novel heterogeneous animal bone-based catalysts were developed. • The optimum catalyst is 30K/HAP-600. • Maximum biodiesel yield of 96.4% was achieved using the novel catalyst. • The novel catalyst can achieve a desirable recyclability. • Little deactivation was found due to K + ions leaching to the product. - Abstract: In the present study, calcined waste pig bone (CB, a solid waste from animal) derived hydroxyapatite (HAP) was served as the support for K 2 CO 3 to prepare a cost-effective solid base catalyst for biodiesel production. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM–EDS, N 2 adsorption–desorption and the Hammett indicator method. The effects of catalyst preparation conditions (such as the loading of K 2 CO 3 on the CB and the calcination temperature), reaction conditions (such as reaction time, methanol/oil molar ratio and catalyst loading) and the catalyst reusability were studied in detail. The experimental results revealed that the highest biodiesel yield of 96.4% was obtained using the 30K/HAP-600 catalyst under the optimum reaction condition (reaction time of 1.5 h, catalyst loading of 8 wt.% and methanol/oil molar ratio of 9:1) due to its highest total basicity. Moreover, after reused for more than 8 cycles, the catalyst can still possess a rather high biodiesel yield (above 90%). A little deactivation was found due to K + ions leaching to the product

High-throughput technology for novel SO2 oxidation catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loskyll, Jonas; Stoewe, Klaus; Maier, Wilhelm F

2011-01-01

We review the state of the art and explain the need for better SO 2 oxidation catalysts for the production of sulfuric acid. A high-throughput technology has been developed for the study of potential catalysts in the oxidation of SO 2 to SO 3 . High-throughput methods are reviewed and the problems encountered with their adaptation to the corrosive conditions of SO 2 oxidation are described. We show that while emissivity-corrected infrared thermography (ecIRT) can be used for primary screening, it is prone to errors because of the large variations in the emissivity of the catalyst surface. UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectrometry was selected instead as a reliable analysis method of monitoring the SO 2 conversion. Installing plain sugar absorbents at reactor outlets proved valuable for the detection and quantitative removal of SO 3 from the product gas before the UV-Vis analysis. We also overview some elements used for prescreening and those remaining after the screening of the first catalyst generations. (topical review)

New catalysts for coal processing: Metal carbides and nitrides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. Ted Oyama; David F. Cox

1999-12-03

The subject of this research project was to investigate the catalytic properties of a new class of materials, transition metal carbides and nitrides, for treatment of coal liquid and petroleum feedstocks. The main objectives were: (1) preparation of catalysts in unsupported and supported form; (2) characterization of the materials; (3) evaluation of their catalytic properties in HDS and HDN; (4) measurement of the surface properties; and (5) observation of adsorbed species. All of the objectives were substantially carried out and the results will be described in detail below. The catalysts were transition metal carbides and nitrides spanning Groups 4--6 in the Periodic Table. They were chosen for study because initial work had shown they were promising materials for hydrotreating. The basic strategy was first to prepare the materials in unsupported form to identify the most promising catalyst, and then to synthesize a supported form of the material. Already work had been carried out on the synthesis of the Group VI compounds Mo{sub 2}C, Mo{sub 2}N, and WC, and new methods were developed for the Group V compounds VC and NbC. All the catalysts were then evaluated in a hydrotreating test at realistic conditions. It was found that the most active catalyst was Mo{sub 2}C, and further investigations of the material were carried out in supported form. A new technique was employed for the study of the bulk and surface properties of the catalysts, near edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS), that fingerprinted the electronic structure of the materials. Finally, two new research direction were explored. Bimetallic alloys formed between two transition metals were prepared, resulting in catalysts having even higher activity than Mo{sub 2}C. The performance of the catalysts in hydrodechloration was also investigated.

Reducible oxide based catalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Levi T.; Kim, Chang Hwan; Bej, Shyamal K.

2010-04-06

A catalyst is disclosed herein. The catalyst includes a reducible oxide support and at least one noble metal fixed on the reducible oxide support. The noble metal(s) is loaded on the support at a substantially constant temperature and pH.

Water detritiation: better catalysts for liquid phase catalytic exchange

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braet, J.

2005-01-01

Fusion reactors are our hope for a clean nuclear energy. But as they shall handle huge amounts of tritium, 1.5 10 19 Bq GWth -1 a -1 or about 50 000 times more tritium than light water fission reactors, they need detritiation. Most tritium losses can be trapped as or can easily be transformed into tritiated water. Water detritiation is preferably based on the multiplication of the large equilibrium isotope effect during the exchange reaction of tritium between hydrogen gas and liquid water in a counter current trickle bed reactor. Such LPCE (Liquid Phase Catalytic Exchange) requires an efficient hydrophobic catalyst. SCK-CEN invented and developed such a catalyst in the past. In combination with an appropriate packing, different batches of this catalyst performed very well during years of extensive testing, allowing to develop the ELEX process for water detritiation at inland reprocessing plants. The main objectives of this study were to reproduce and possibly improve the SCK-CEN catalyst for tritium exchange between hydrogen and liquid water; and to demonstrate the high overall exchange rate and thus high detritiation factors that can be realized with it in a small and simple LPCE column under typical but conservative operating conditions

VOC removal by microwave, electron beam and catalyst technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

IghigeanuI, D.; Martin, D.; OproiuI, C.; Manaila, E.; Craciun, G.; Calinescu, I.; Zissulescu, E.

2007-01-01

A hybrid technique, developed for VOCs removal using microwave (MW) treatment, electron beam (EB) irradiation and catalyst method, is presented. Two hybrid laboratory installations, developed for the study of air pollution control by combined EB irradiation, MW irradiation and catalyst, are described. Air loaded with toluene was treated at different MW power levels, water content, flow rates, and different irradiation modes, separately and combined with MW and EB. Also, simultaneous EB and MW irradiation method was applied to SO 2 and NO x removal. Real synergy effects between EB induced NTP, MW induced NTP and catalysis can be observed

On "being inspired" by Husserl's Phenomenology: reflections on Omery's exposition of phenomenology as a method of nursing research.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, E J

1998-09-01

The impact of Omery's article, "Phenomenology: A Method for Nursing Research," on nursing science is appraised. In particular, the influence of her emphasis on "being inspired" was compared with that of her detailed reviews of psychological phenomenologic methods. The author's experience of "being inspired" by Husserl's book, Ideas, is described. The author also discusses the tapping of this resource during three phases of her development as a researcher: (1) appraising methods derived from Husserl's phenomenology; (2) spelling out an approach, with help; and (3) "making clearer while glancing-toward." Omery's proposed linkage between philosophic inspiration and methodologic development is highlighted as a challenge to nurse researchers.

Role of Cultural Inspiration with Different Types in Cultural Product Design Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Shi-Jian; Dong, Ye-Nan

2017-01-01

Inspiration plays an important role in the design activities and design education. This paper describes "ancient cultural artefacts" as "cultural inspiration," consisting of two types called "cultural-pictorial inspiration" (CPI) and "cultural-textual inspiration" (CTI). This study aims to test the important…

Boron-Based Catalysts for C-C Bond-Formation Reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Rao, Bin; Kinjo, Rei

2018-05-02

Because the construction of the C-C bond is one of the most significant reactions in organic chemistry, the development of an efficient strategy has attracted much attention throughout the synthetic community. Among various protocols to form C-C bonds, organoboron compounds are not just limited to stoichiometric reagents, but have also made great achievements as catalysts because of the easy modification of the electronic and steric impacts on the boron center. This review presents recent developments of boron-based catalysts applied in the field of C-C bond-formation reactions, which are classified into four kinds on the basis of the type of boron catalyst: 1) highly Lewis acidic borane, B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 ; 2) organoboron acids, RB(OH) 2 , and their ester derivatives; 3) borenium ions, (R 2 BL)X; and 4) other miscellaneous kinds. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The synthesis of carbon nanocomposites as fuel cell catalyst support and the characterization of fuel cell catalysts by spatially resolved scanning mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Nan

2007-07-01

Ammonia decomposition over Ni/SiO{sub 2} and Ni/MgO was investigated by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and temperature-programmed surface reaction (TPSR) in order to produce CO{sub x} free hydrogen fuel for fuel cell application. A highly efficient route for the synthesis of carbon nanocomposites based on electrochemical deposition and iron catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was developed in order to obtain a promising substrate for fuel cell catalysts. The duration of electrochemical deposition, temperature and time for the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) growth had been optimized to achieve higher surface area after the growth. Hierarchically structured CNTs composites had been synthesized and electrochemical studies provided evidence for the strong interaction among the substrate and grown CNTs, which are essential for the application in fuel cells. A straightforward strategy was developed to synthesize well dispersed gold nanoparticles with a diameter of 4 to 6 nm on the sidewall of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). A gas flow set-up was developed for the evaluation of fuel cell catalysts by performing scanning mass spectrometry with integrated constant-distance positioning. Methanol oxidation was identified as a suitable test reaction. The diameter of scanning probe was reduced in order to achieve higher spatial resolution. Spatially resolved scanning mass spectrometry was successfully applied to visualize the catalytic activity over Pt-based catalysts and monitor the local activity of a catalysts coated membrane (CCM). The gas-solid phase reaction results were proved to be accurate, reliable and independent of the sample topography. This analytical method opens the way for fast quality control of the catalyst coating with respect to even coating and absence of damages, and for a better understanding of the CCM degradation in polymer membrane electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs). (orig.)

Increasing the lifetime of fuel cell catalysts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Latsuzbaia, R.

2015-01-01

In this thesis, I discuss a novel idea of fuel cell catalyst regeneration to increase lifetime of the PEM fuel cell electrode/catalyst operation and, therefore, reduce the catalyst costs. As many of the catalyst degradation mechanisms are difficult to avoid, the regeneration is alternative option to

Catalyst Architecture:New York Copenhagen Tokyo Rio de Janeiro

OpenAIRE

Kiib, Hans; Marling, Gitte; Hansen, Peter Mandal

2014-01-01

How can architecture promote the enriching experiences of the tolerant, the democratic, and the learning city - a city worth living in, worth supporting and worth investing in?Catalyst Architecture comprises architectural projects, which, by virtue of their location, context and their combination of programs, have a role in mediating positive social and/or cultural development. In this sense, we talk about architecture as a catalyst for:sustainable adaptation of the city’s infrastructureappro...

Hydroprocessing using regenerated spent heavy hydrocarbon catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, F.T.; Hensley, A.L. Jr.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a process for hydroprocessing a hydrocarbon feedstock. It comprises: contacting the feedstock with hydrogen under hydroprocessing conditions with a hydroprocessing catalyst wherein the hydroprocessing catalyst contains a total contaminant metals build-up of greater than about 4 wt. % nickel plus vanadium, a hydrogenation component selected from the group consisting of Group VIB metals and Group VIII metals and is regenerated spent hydroprocessing catalyst regenerated by a process comprising the steps: partially decoking the spent catalyst in an initial coke-burning step; impregnating the partially decoked catalyst with a Group IIA metal-containing impregnation solution; and decoking the impregnated catalyst in a final coke-burning step wherein the impregnated catalyst is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas at a temperature of about 600 degrees F to about 1400 degrees F

Novel catalysts and photoelectrochemical system for solar fuel production

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan

Solar fuel production from abundant raw chemicals such as CO2 and water is highly desired as a clean renewable energy solution for the future. Developing photoelectrochemical cells is viewed as a promising approach to realize this energy conversion and storage process. Efficient and robust oxygen evolution catalyst made from non-precious materials remains a major challenge for such a system. This thesis basically consists of three parts of work, including studies on enhancing the photocatalytic oxygen evolution activity of cobalt-based spinel nanoparticles by manganese3+ substitution, in situ formation of cobalt oxide nanocubanes as highly active catalyst for photocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction, and development of a photoanode-driven photoelectrochemical cell for CO2 reduction with water. The first part of this thesis work devotes efforts in the development and study on cobalt and other transition metal oxide based oxygen evolution catalyst. Photocatalytic oxygen evolution is a critical step for solar fuel production from abundant sources. It poses a significant challenge because it requires an efficient catalyst to bridge the one-electron photon capture process with the four-electron oxygen reaction. Among all the metal oxides, Co3O4 spinel exhibits a high activity as an oxygen evolution catalyst. The results of this work demonstrate that the photocatalytic oxygen evolution activity of Co3O4 spinel can be further enhanced by substituting Co with Mn in the spinel structure. Using a facile hydrothermal approach, Co3O4 spinel nanoparticles as well as Mn-substituted and Ni-substituted Co3O4 spinel nanoparticles with a typical particle size of 5-7 nm were successfully synthesized. The morphology and crystal structures of the as-synthesized nanoparticle catalysts have been carefully examined using various structural characterization techniques, including powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), gas adsorption, and x-ray absorption

Tunable, Chemo- and Site-Selective Nitrene Transfer Reactions through the Rational Design of Silver(I) Catalysts.

Science.gov (United States)

Alderson, Juliet M; Corbin, Joshua R; Schomaker, Jennifer M

2017-09-19

Carbon-nitrogen (C-N) bonds are ubiquitous in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, diverse bioactive natural products, and ligands for transition metal catalysts. An effective strategy for introducing a new C-N bond into a molecule is through transition metal-catalyzed nitrene transfer chemistry. In these reactions, a metal-supported nitrene can either add across a C═C bond to form an aziridine or insert into a C-H bond to furnish the corresponding amine. Typical catalysts for nitrene transfer include Rh 2 L n and Ru 2 L n complexes supported by bridging carboxylate and related ligands, as well as complexes based on Cu, Co, Ir, Fe, and Mn supported by porphyrins and related ligands. A limitation of metal-catalyzed nitrene transfer is the ability to predictably select which specific site will undergo amination in the presence of multiple reactive groups; thus, many reactions rely primarily on substrate control. Achieving true catalyst-control over nitrene transfer would open up exciting possibilities for flexible installation of new C-N bonds into hydrocarbons, natural product-inspired scaffolds, existing pharmaceuticals or biorenewable building blocks. Silver-catalyzed nitrene transfer enables flexible control over the position at which a new C-N bond is introduced. Ag(I) supported by simple N-donor ligands accommodates a diverse range of coordination geometries, from linear to tetrahedral to seesaw, enabling the electronic and steric parameters of the catalyst to be tuned independently. In addition, the ligand, Ag salt counteranion, Ag/ligand ratio and the solvent all influence the fluxional and dynamic behavior of Ag(I) complexes in solution. Understanding the interplay of these parameters to manipulate the behavior of Ag-nitrenes in a predictable manner is a key design feature of our work. In this Account, we describe successful applications of a variety of design principles to tunable, Ag-catalyzed aminations, including (1) changing Ag/ligand ratios to influence

Synthesis of CaO-CeO2 catalysts by soft template method for biodiesel production

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Y. C.; Yu, X. H.; Yang, J.

2017-06-01

Biodiesel has recently gained extensive attention. Catalysts play an important role in producing biodiesel by transesterification reaction. In this study, CaO-CeO2 catalysts are developed as the solid base catalyst. Using PDMS-PEO as a structure-directing agent, the prepared CaO-CeO2 catalysts have a three-dimensional interconnected porous structure, which benefits the transesterification reaction. While the added Ce slightly decreases the catalytic activity, the stability of the catalyst shows remarkable improvement. Considering the catalytic activity and stability, the best catalyst is determined to be catalyst 0.15-1073 (Ce/Ca molar ratio of 0.15 and calcination temperature of 1073 K). Under optimum reaction conditions, the biodiesel yield reaches to 97.5% and metal leaching is 117.7 ppm. For catalyst 0.15-1073 regenerated after four reaction cycles, the biodiesel yield is 94.1%. The results reveal that the CaO-CeO2 catalyst has good potential for application in large-scale biodiesel production in the future.

Extended Catalyst Longevity Via Supercritical Isobutane Regeneration of a Partially Deactivated USY Alkylation Catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Daniel M. Ginosar; David N. Thompson; Kyle C. Burch; David J. Zalewski

2005-05-01

Off-line, in situ activity recovery of a partially deactivated USY zeolite catalyst used for isobutane/butene alkylation was examined in a continuous-flow reaction system employing supercritical isobutane. Catalyst samples were deactivated in a controlled manner by running them to either to a fixed butene conversion level of 95% or a fixed time on stream of three hours, and then exposing the catalyst to supercritical isobutane to restore activity. Activity recovery was determined by comparing alkylation activity before and after the regeneration step. Both single and multiple regenerations were performed. Use of a 95% butene conversion level criterion to terminate the reaction step afforded 86% activity recovery for a single regeneration and provided nine sequential reaction steps for the multiple regeneration studies. Employing a fixed 3 h time on stream criterion resulted in nearly complete activity recovery for a single regeneration, and 24 reaction steps were demonstrated in sequence for the multiple regeneration process, producing only minor product yield declines per step. This resulted in a 12-fold increase in catalyst longevity versus unregenerated catalyst.

Flytrap-inspired robot using structurally integrated actuation based on bistability and a developable surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Seung-Won; Koh, Je-Sung; Lee, Jong-Gu; Ryu, Junghyun; Cho, Maenghyo; Cho, Kyu-Jin

2014-09-01

The Venus flytrap uses bistability, the structural characteristic of its leaf, to actuate the leaf's rapid closing motion for catching its prey. This paper presents a flytrap-inspired robot and novel actuation mechanism that exploits the structural characteristics of this structure and a developable surface. We focus on the concept of exploiting structural characteristics for actuation. Using shape memory alloy (SMA), the robot actuates artificial leaves made from asymmetrically laminated carbon fiber reinforced prepregs. We exploit two distinct structural characteristics of the leaves. First, the bistability acts as an implicit actuator enabling rapid morphing motion. Second, the developable surface has a kinematic constraint that constrains the curvature of the artificial leaf. Due to this constraint, the curved artificial leaf can be unbent by bending the straight edge orthogonal to the curve. The bending propagates from one edge to the entire surface and eventually generates an overall shape change. The curvature change of the artificial leaf is 18 m(-1) within 100 ms when closing. Experiments show that these actuation mechanisms facilitate the generation of a rapid and large morphing motion of the flytrap robot by one-way actuation of the SMA actuators at a local position.

The Stability of Supported Gold Catalysts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Masoud, Nazila

2018-01-01

Gold has supreme cultural and financial value and, in form of nanoparticles smaller than 10 nm, is a unique catalyst for different industrially relevant reactions. Intriguing properties of the gold catalysts have spurred demand in the chemical industry for Au catalysts, the application of which

Nature as Inspiration

Science.gov (United States)

Tank, Kristina; Moore, Tamara; Strnat, Meg

2015-01-01

This article describes the final lesson within a seven-day STEM and literacy unit that is part of the Picture STEM curriculum (pictureSTEM. org) and uses engineering to integrate science and mathematics learning in a meaningful way (Tank and Moore 2013). For this engineering challenge, students used nature as a source of inspiration for designs to…

Ndebele Inspired Houses

Science.gov (United States)

Rice, Nicole

2012-01-01

The house paintings of the South African Ndebele people are more than just an attempt to improve the aesthetics of a community; they are a source of identity and significance for Ndebele women. In this article, the author describes an art project wherein students use the tradition of Ndebele house painting as inspiration for creating their own…

Development and characterisation of novel heterogeneous palm oil mill boiler ash-based catalysts for biodiesel production.

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Wilson Wei Sheng; Ng, Hoon Kiat; Gan, Suyin

2012-12-01

Novel heterogeneous catalysts from calcium oxide (CaO)/calcined calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) loaded onto different palm oil mill boiler ashes were synthesised and used in the transesterification of crude palm oil (CPO) with methanol to yield biodiesel. Catalyst preparation parameters including the type of ash support, the weight percentage of CaO and calcined CaCO(3) loadings, as well as the calcination temperature of CaCO(3) were optimised. The catalyst prepared by loading of 15 wt% calcined CaCO(3) at a fixed temperature of 800°C on fly ash exhibited a maximum oil conversion of 94.48%. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed that the CaCO(3) was transformed into CaO at 770°C and interacted well with the ash support, whereas rich CaO, Al(2)O(3) and SiO(2) were identified in the composition using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The fine morphology size (<5 μm) and high surface area (1.719 m(2)/g) of the fly ash-based catalyst rendered it the highest catalytic activity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen oxides storage catalysts containing cobalt

Science.gov (United States)

Lauterbach, Jochen; Snively, Christopher M.; Vijay, Rohit; Hendershot, Reed; Feist, Ben

2010-10-12

Nitrogen oxides (NO.sub.x) storage catalysts comprising cobalt and barium with a lean NO.sub.x storage ratio of 1.3 or greater. The NO.sub.x storage catalysts can be used to reduce NO.sub.x emissions from diesel or gas combustion engines by contacting the catalysts with the exhaust gas from the engines. The NO.sub.x storage catalysts can be one of the active components of a catalytic converter, which is used to treat exhaust gas from such engines.

FCC catalyst technologies expand limits of process capability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leiby, S.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that over the past 30 or so years, many improvements in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) operation have been achieved as the result of innovations in catalyst formulation. During the 1990s, new environmental regulations on issues such as reformulated gasoline will place new demands on both the refining industry and catalyst suppliers. An overview of cracking catalyst technology therefore seems in order. Today, high-technology innovations by catalyst manufacturers are rapid, but profit margins are slim. Catalyst formulations are shrouded in secrecy and probably depend almost as much on art as on science. Special formulations for specific cracking applications get the greatest emphasis today. To illustrate this point, OGJ's Worldwide Catalyst Report lists over 200 FCC catalyst designations. Catalysts containing components to enhance gasoline octane now account for about 70% of total U.S. FCC catalyst usage

Technology development for cobalt F-T catalysts. Quarterly technical progress report No. 12, July 1, 1995--September 30, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singleton, A.H.

1996-03-21

The investigation of the effect of certain promoters (Fe, Pd, and Ru) on the deactivation characteristics of Co catalysts during F-T synthesis was continued during this reporting period. All catalysts were tested first at 220{degrees}C, then at higher temperatures from 240 to 280{degrees}C, while monitoring their deactivation. The choice of these promoters was based on their intrinsic ability to enhance the hydrogenation reactions while slowing down the Boudouard reaction under the conditions used in F-T synthesis. Olefin hydrogenation and CO dissociation reactions were used individually to investigate further the nature of the deactivation process of these catalyst during F-T synthesis. Hydrogenation of isobutene (IB) was carried out in the presence of CO between 120 and 180{degrees}C and atmospheric pressure. CO dissociation activities of the catalysts were measured using a pulse technique at 2.5 atm and at temperatures between 180 and 280{degrees}C with intermittent H{sub 2} bracketing at 350{degrees}C. Promotion with high loadings of Fe or Pd resulted in catalysts with relatively lower activity and higher methane selectivity. The deactivation process and rate for catalysts containing Pd or Fe were similar to those of the non-promoted or Ru-promoted alumina-supported Co catalysts tested previously. The only exception was Co.068 with 1% Pd which had adequate activity and selectivity as well as lower deactivation rate at the various temperatures tested.

Evaluation of AECL catalysts for hydrogen fuel-cell applications. Paper no. IGEC-1-073

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, J.; Suppiah, S.; Li, H.; Kutchcoskie, K.J.; Strikwerda, S.

2005-01-01

AECL has been engaged in the promotion of the nuclear-hydrogen economy, which envisions that hydrogen fuel cells will generate power using hydrogen as fuel produced by nuclear energy. Since AECL's catalysts developed for the production, upgrading and detritiation of heavy water are very similar to commercial fuel-cell catalysts, a program was initiated to evaluate AECL catalysts for fuel-cell applications. As a first step in this effort, a half-cell test facility was set up to characterize the performance of catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells. This paper outlines the results obtained from cathodic reduction of oxygen in a 0.5 M sulphuric acid solution on a rotating disc electrode at 65 o C. The performance of the catalysts was characterized using standard electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry, Voltammogram/Tafel plots and short-term stability plots. Several monometallic Pt and Pt-based bimetallic catalysts were tested and compared with a commercially available catalyst for fuel-cell applications. AECL's monometallic Pt catalysts showed comparable or better activities than commercial catalysts with similar Pt loading. An AECL Pt-based bimetallic catalyst has shown superior performance to a monometallic Pt catalyst with similar Pt loading. Evaluation of various catalyst formulations is ongoing on the half-cell facility at AECL. Further investigation of promising catalysts identified from half-cell test is also being carried out in single fuel cell on test stations under normal fuel-cell operating conditions. (author)

Characterizing the structural degradation in a PEMFC cathode catalyst layer : carbon corrosion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, A.; Stumper, J. [Ballard Power Systems, Burnaby, BC (Canada); Gyenge, E. [British Columbia Univ., Vancouver, BC (Canada). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering

2009-07-01

The structural degradation resulting from carbon corrosion of a cathode catalyst layer in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was investigated in this study. In order to oxidize the catalyst carbon support, the PEMFC catalyst layer was subjected to a 30 hour accelerated stress test that cycled the cathode potential from 0.1 to 1.5 VRHE at 30 and 150 second intervals. The rate and amount of carbon loss was determined by measuring the carbon dioxide in the exhaust gas. The structural degradation of the catalyst layer was characterized and correlated to the PEMFC performance using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarization analyses. This analysis revealed a clear thinning of the cathode catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer carbon sub-layer, and a reduction in the effective platinum surface area due to the carbon support oxidation. The thinned cathode catalyst layer changed the water management, and increased the voltage loss associated with the oxygen mass transport and catalyst layer ohmic resistance. In order to further develop and verify this methodology for other degradation mechanisms, emphasis was placed on EIS measurements.

Catalyst Deactivation and Regeneration in Low Temperature Ethanol Steam Reforming with Rh/CeO2-ZrO2 Catalysts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roh, Hyun-Seog; Platon, Alex; Wang, Yong; King, David L.

2006-08-01

Rh/CeO2-ZrO2 catalysts with various CeO2/ZrO2 ratios have been applied to H2 production from ethanol steam reforming at low temperatures. The catalysts all deactivated with time on stream (TOS) at 350 C. The addition of 0.5% K has a beneficial effect on catalyst stability, while 5% K has a negative effect on catalytic activity. The catalyst could be regenerated considerably even at ambient temperature and could recover its initial activity after regeneration above 200 C with 1% O2. The results are most consistent with catalyst deactivation due to carbonaceous deposition on the catalyst.

Novel bimetallic dispersed catalysts for temperature-programmed coal liquefaction. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chunshan Song; Schobert, H.H.; Parfitt, D.P. [and others

1997-11-01

Development of new catalysts is a promising approach to more efficient coal liquefaction. It has been recognized that dispersed catalysts are superior to supported catalysts for primary liquefaction of coals, because the control of initial coal dissolution or depolymerization requires intimate contact between the catalyst and coal. This research is a fundamental and exploratory study on catalytic coal liquefaction, with the emphasis on exploring novel bimetallic dispersed catalysts for coal liquefaction and the effectiveness of temperature-programmed liquefaction using dispersed catalysts. The primary objective of this research was to explore novel bimetallic dispersed catalysts from organometallic molecular precursors, that could be used in low concentrations but exhibit relatively high activity for efficient hydroliquefaction of coals under temperature-programmed conditions. We have synthesized and tested various catalyst precursors in liquefaction of subbituminous and bituminous coals and in model compound studies to examine how do the composition and structure of the catalytic precursors affect their effectiveness for coal liquefaction under different reaction conditions, and how do these factors affect their catalytic functions for hydrogenation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, for cleavage of C-C bonds in polycyclic systems such as 4-(1-naphthylmethyl)bibenzyl, for hydrogenolysis of C-O bond such as that in dinaphthylether, for hydrodeoxygenation of phenolic compounds and other oxygen-containing compounds such as xanthene, and for hydrodesulfurization of polycyclic sulfur compounds such as dibenzothiophene. The novel bimetallic and monometallic precursors synthesized and tested in this project include various Mo- and Fe-based compounds.