Synthesis of CeO_2/fly ash cenospheres composites as novel photocatalysts by modified pyrolysis process

A novel fly ash cenospheres（FACs）-supported CeO2 composite（CeO2/FACs） was successfully synthesized by the modified pyrolysis process.The prepared composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, and diffuse reflection spectra（DRS） techniques.XRD results indicated that the CeO2 film coated on cenospheres was a face-centered cubic structure.SEM images confirmed that the CeO2 film was relatively compact.XPS results showed that Ce was present as both Ce4＋ and Ce3＋ oxidation states in CeO2 film coated on FACs substrate.The bandgap of the composite was narrower compared with the pure CeO2.The as-prepared material exhibited good photocatalytic activity for the decolorization of methylene blue（MB） under visible light irradiation, and the first-order reaction rate constant（k） of 0.0028 min–1 for CeO2/FACs composite was higher than 0.0015 min–1 of pure CeO2.The fact that they floated on water meant that CeO2/FACs composites were easily recovered from water by filtration after the reaction.The recycling test revealed that the composites were quite stable during the MB photocatalytic decolorization.The CeO2/ FACs catalyst was therefore promising for practical use in the degradation of pollutants or water cleanup.

Catalyst for Increasing Ethylene and Propylene Production and Its Industrial Application in a Catalytic Pyrolysis Unit

Light olefins,particularly ethylene and propylene,are the most important building blocks for the petrochemical industry,and demand for their production has been increasing.The catalytic pyrolysis process(CPP)and the corresponding catalyst,developed by SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co.,Ltd.,are designed to maximize the light olefin yield from catalytic cracking of heavy feedstocks.However,owing to the continuing degradation of feedstocks,the original catalyst can no longer maintain its activity.Herein,we describe the rational design of the new catalyst,Epylene,from a new metal-modified hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite and matrix.Epylene was tested in the CPP unit of Shaanxi Yanchang Coal Yulin Energy and Chemical Company.A test run and base run were conducted to demonstrate the better performance of Epylene compared with the original catalyst.The properties of the feedstocks and the operating conditions in both runs were similar.The light olefin yield was increased from 33.95%to 36.50%and the coke yield was only 9.58%in the test run,which was lower than that in the base run.

Preparation of lithium carbonate by microwave assisted pyrolysis

Investigations were conducted to purify crude Li_(2)CO_(3)via direct carbonation with CO_(2)at atmospheric pressure and pyrolysis with both water bath heating method and microwave heating method.The reaction kinetics of LiHCO_(3)pyrolysis was studied and the effect of different operating conditions including initial concentration of LiHCO_(3)solution,pyrolysis temperature and stirring speed on the purity of Li_(2)CO_(3)was investigated to obtain the optimal operating conditions.Results showed that the effect law is similar in the two pyrolysis processes.The purity of the Li_(2)CO_(3)increases firstly and then decreases with the increase of the initial concentration of LiHCO_(3)solution and the stirring speed,while the purity of Li_(2)CO_(3)first decreases and then increases with the increase of pyrolysis temperature.The product yield increases with the increase of initial concentration of LiHCO_(3)solution and pyrolysis temperature and is essentially unaffected by the stirring speed.Under the optimal operating conditions,the purity of Li_(2)CO_(3)can reach up to 99.86%and 99.81%in water bath heating and microwave heating process,respectively.In addition,the pyrolysis rate of microwave assisted pyrolysis is 6 times that of water bath heating process,indicating that the microwave heating technology can significantly improve pyrolysis efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

Study on Technology for Quenching Catalytic Pyrolysis Gas

This article describes the application of technology for quenching catalytic pyrolysis gas at the Daqing commercial CPP test unit and the Shenyang commercial CPP production unit.On the basis of results for application of the Shenyang CPP unit this paper puts forward an improved process flow scheme for quenching the pyrolysis gas and made calculations using the process flowsheet software.Case Ⅰ of the process flow scheme,which is designed for full circulation of slurry,intends to use the pyrolysis light oil and fresh feed oil as the quenching media with the product slurry oil and fresh feedstock being discharged from the quench cooler bottom and routed directly to the reactor so that the fresh feed oil can be preheated prior to pyrolysis.Case Ⅱ of the process flow scheme intends to adopt recycle oil as the quenching medium with the product slurry and recycle oil being discharged from the quench cooler bottom to the fractionator,which then delivers the slurry from the bottom.These two cases for improving the process flow diagram can all effectively control the density and viscosity of the quenching medium to secure the smooth operation of quench cooler.

Commercial Application of CPP for Producing Ethylene and Propylene from Heavy Oil Feed

A new process named CPP (Catalytic Pyrolysis Process) for producing ethylene andpropylene from heavy oil feedstock has been developed. The catalyst CEP was specially designedfor this process, which has bi-functional catalytic activities for both carbonium ion reaction andfree radical reaction, so as to maximize the yields of ethylene and propylene. The commercial trialshowed that the yield of ethylene and propylene was 20.37% and 18.23% respectively inmaximum ethylene operation with Daqing AR as feedstock, and the yield of ethylene and propylenewas 9.77% and 24.60% respectively in maximum propylene operation by using the same feedstock.Compared with steam cracker, the feed cost of CPP is much lower for producing ethylene andpropylene.

Evaluating mechanism and inconsistencies in hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soil using newly proposed biochar conductivity factor

In the past few decades,numerous studies have been conducted to promote the use of biochar as a soil amendment and most recently,for compacted geo-engineered soils.In general,the definite trends of biochar effects on water retention and fertility of soils have been confirmed.However,the biochar effects on hydraulic conductivity,particularly unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of soil-biochar mix remain unclear,making it difficult to understand water seepage in both agricultural and geo-engineered infrastructures in semi-arid regions.This study examines the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function derived based on the measurements of soil water characteristic curves of soil with biochar contents of 0%,5%and 10%.A new parameter“biochar conductivity factor(BCF)”is proposed to evaluate the inconsistency in reported biochar effects on soil hydraulic conductivity and to interpret it from various mechanisms(inter-and intra-pore space filling,cracking,aggregation,bio-film formation and piping/internal erosion).The impact of biochar content on unsaturated hydraulic conductivity appears to reduce as the soil becomes drier with minimal effect in residual zone.Qualitative comparison of near-saturated hydraulic conductivity with test results in the literature showed that the BCF is generally higher for smaller ratio of sand to fine content(clay and silt).Moreover,the particle size of biochar may have significant influence on soil permeability.Future scope of research has been highlighted with respect to biochar production for its applications in agriculture and geo-environmental engineering.Long term effects such as root decay and growth,aggregation and nutrient supply need to be considered.

Comparative study on the efficiency and environmental impact of two methods of utilizing polyvinyl chloride waste based on life cycle assessments

Two processes of utilizing polyvinyl chloride （PVC） waste, an incineration process and a vacuum pyrolysis process, for energy conversion were compared to determine their efficiency and environmental perfor- mance. We carried out a life cycle assessment with each of the two processes to evaluate their environmental impact and defined the goals and limits of our remit. As well, we established an inventory of PVC waste from incineration and vacuum pyrolysis based on process analysis, data collection and calculations. The results show that electrical power output per unit mass of PVC waste in the incineration process was twice as high as that of the vacuum pyrolysis process. Incineration had a larger total environmental impact potential than vacuum pyrolysis. The total environmental impact potential of PVC waste from incineration was three times higher than that from vacuum pyrolysis. Incineration of PVC disposed 300 ng. 100 kgI of dioxins and vacuum pyrolysis 98.19 ng- 100 kgI of dioxins. As well, we analyzed the data for their uncertainty with results quantified in terms of three uncertainties： basic uncertainty, additional uncertainty, and computational uncertainty. The coefficients of variation of the data were less than 25% and the quality of the inventory data was acceptable with low uncertainty. Both PVC waste disposal processes were of similar quality and their results comparable. The results of our life cycle impact assessment （LCIA） showed considerable reliability of our methodology. Overall, the vacuum pyrolysis process has a number advantages and greater potential for development of PVC disposal than the incineration process.