Direct capture and separation of CO_(2) from air

Direct air capture(DAC)has attracted increasing interest and investment over the past few years.There are a fast-growing number of companies that entered the field and demonstrated DAC carbon removal setups and potential.However,current DAC methods are still based on solid absorbents or alkali solutions approaches which have low capture efficiency and low energy efficiency.This highlight proposed a promising CO_(2) capture technology,an electric energy driven closed-loop system for the direct removal of CO_(2) from ambient air which are based on two individual technologies:Polyam-N-Cu hybrid system promoted CO_(2) capture with ocean as anthropogenic CO_(2) sink and a chloride-mediated electrochemical pH swing system to remove CO_(2) from oceanwater.

Phase separation and transcriptional regulation in cancer development

Liquid-liquid phase separation,a novel biochemical phenomenon,has been increasingly studied for its medical applications.It underlies the formation of membrane-less organelles and is involved in many cellular and biological processes.During transcriptional regulation,dynamic condensates are formed through interactions between transcriptional elements,such as transcription factors,coactivators,and mediators.Cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation,but the precise mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis often remain to be elucidated.Emerging evidence has linked abnormal transcriptional condensates to several diseases,especially cancer,implying that phase separation plays an important role in tumorigenesis.Condensates formed by phase separation may have an effect on gene transcription in tumors.In the present review,we focus on the correlation between phase separation and transcriptional regulation,as well as how this phenomenon contributes to cancer development.

Recent progress in ternary mixed matrix membranes for CO_(2) separation

Mixed matrix membranes(MMMs)could combine the advantages of both polymeric membranes and porousfillers,making them an effective alternative to conventional polymer membranes.However,interfacial incompatibility issues,such as the presence of interfacial voids,hardening of polymer chains,and blockage of micropores by polymers between common MMMsfillers and the polymer matrix,currently limit the gas sep-aration performance of MMMs.Ternary phase MMMs(consisting of afiller,an additive,and a matrix)made by adding a third compound,usually functionalized additives,can overcome the structural problems of binary phase MMMs and positively impact membrane separation performance.This review introduces the structure and fabrication processes for ternary MMMs,categorizes various nanofillers and the third component,and summarizes and analyzes in detail the CO_(2) separation performance of newly developed ternary MMMs based on both rubbery and glassy polymers.Based on this separation data,the challenges of ternary MMMs are also discussed.Finally,future directions for ternary MMMs are proposed.

The flow behavior of droplet adsorption on a liquid-liquid interface accompanied by cross-linking reaction and phase separation in a microchannel

The adsorption process of droplets on the liquid-liquid interface and phase separation process can regulate the spatial distribution of the fluid system,which are crucial for chemical engineering.However,the cross-linking reaction,which is widely used in the field of polymers,can change the physical properties of the fluids and affect the flow behavior accordingly.A configuration of microchannels is designed to conveniently generate uniform droplets in one phase of the parallel flow.The flow behavior of the adsorption process of sodium alginate droplets on the liquid-liquid interface is investigated,and the subsequent process of phase separation is studied.In the process of droplet adsorption,the crosslinking reaction occurs synchronously,which makes the droplet viscosity and the elasticity modules of the droplet surface increase,thus affecting the dynamics of the adsorption process and the equilibrium shape of the droplet.The variation of the adsorption length with time is divided into three stages,which all conform to power law relationship.The exponents of the second and third stages deviate from the results of the Tanner's law.The flow pattern maps of droplet adsorption and phase separation are drawn,and the operating ranges of complete adsorption and complete separation are provided.This study provides a theoretical basis for further studying the flow behavior of droplets with cross-linking reaction in a microchannel.

Flotation separation of brucite and calcite in dodecylamine system enhanced by regulator potassium dihydrogen phosphate

To achieve efficient flotation separation of brucite and calcite,flotation separation experiments were conducted on two minerals using dodecylamine(DDA)as the collector and potassium dihydrogen phosphate(PDP)as the regulator.The action mechanism of DDA and PDP was explored through contact angle measurement,zeta potential detection,solution chemistry calculation,FTIR analysis,and XPS detection.The flotation results showed that when DDA dosage was 35 mg/L and PDP dosage was 40 mg/L,the maximum floating difference between brucite and calcite was 79.81%,and the selectivity separation index was 6.46.The detection analysis showed that the main dissolved component HPO_(4)^(2−)of PDP is selectively strongly adsorbed on the Ca site on the surface of calcite,promoting the adsorption of the main dissolved component RNH_(3)^(+)of DDA on calcite surface,while brucite is basically not affected by PDP.Therefore,PDP is an effective regulator for the reverse flotation separation of brucite and calcite in DDA system.

Boosting kinetic separation of ethylene and ethane on microporous materials via crystal size control

The adsorptive separation of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6),as an alternative to distillation units consuming high energy,is a promising yet challenging research.The great similarity in the molecular size of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6)brings challenges to the regulation of adsorbents to realize efficient dynamic separation.Herein,we reported the enhancement of the kinetic separation of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)by controlling the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4)(Atz=3-amino-1,2,4-triazole)to amplify the diffusion difference of C_(2)H_(4)and C_(2)H_(6).Through adjusting the synthesis temperature,reactant concentration,and ligands/metal ions molar ratio,ZnAtzPO4 crystals with different sizes were obtained.Both single-component kinetic adsorption tests and binary-component dynamic breakthrough experiments confirmed the enhancement of the dynamic separation of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)with the increase in the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4).The separation selectivity of C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)increased from 1.3 to 98.5 with the increase in the crystal size of ZnAtzPO_(4).This work demonstrated the role of morphology and size control of adsorbent crystals in the improvement of the C_(2)H_(4)/C_(2)H_(6)kinetic separation performance.

Cooperative effect of sodium lauryl sulfate collector and sodium pyrophosphate depressant on the flotation separation of lead oxide minerals from hematite

As a cornerstone of the national economy,the iron and steel industry generates a significant amount of sintering dust containing both valuable lead resources and deleterious elements.Flotation is a promising technique for lead recovery from sintering dust,but efficient separation from Fe_(2)O_(3) is still challenging.This study investigated the cooperative effect of sodium lauryl sulfate(SLS,C_(12)H_(25)SO_(4)Na)and sodium pyrophosphate(SPP,Na_(4)P_(2)O_(7))on the selective flotation of lead oxide minerals(PbOHCl and PbSO_(4))from hematite(Fe_(2)O_(3)).Optimal flotation conditions were first identified,resulting in high recovery of lead oxide minerals while inhibiting Fe_(2)O_(3) flotation.Zeta potential measurements,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR)analysis,adsorption capacity analysis,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)studies offer insights into the adsorption behaviors of the reagents on mineral surfaces,revealing strong adsorption of SLS on PbOHCl and PbSO_(4) surfaces and remarkable adsorption of SPP on Fe_(2)O_(3).The proposed model of reagent adsorption on mineral surfaces illustrates the selective adsorption behavior,highlighting the pivotal role of reagent adsorption in the separation process.These findings contribute to the efficient and environmentally friendly utilization of iron ore sintering dust for lead recovery,paving the way for sustainable resource management in the iron and steel industry.

Synergistic strengthening mechanism of Ca^(2+)-sodium silicate to selective separation of feldspar and quartz

Inhibitors are important for flotation separation of quartz and feldspar.In this study,a novel combined inhibitor was used to separate quartz and feldspar in near-neutral pulp.Selective inhibition of the combined inhibitor was assessed by micro-flotation experiments.And a series of detection methods were used to detect differences in the surface properties of feldspars and quartz after flotation reagents and put forward the synergistic strengthening mechanism.The outcomes were pointed out that pre-mixing combined inhibitors were more effective than the addition of Ca^(2+)and SS in sequence under the optimal proportion of 1:5.A concentrate from artificial mixed minerals that was characterized by a high quartz grade and a high recovery was acquired,and was found to be 90.70wt% and 83.70%,respectively.It was demonstrated that the combined inhibitor selectively prevented the action of the collector and feldspar from Fourier-transform infrared(FT-IR)and adsorption capacity tests.The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)indicated that Ca^(2+)directly interacts with the surface of quartz to increase the adsorption of collectors.In contrast,the chemistry property of Al on the feldspar surface was altered by combined inhibitor due to Na^(+)and Ca^(2+)taking the place of K^(+),resulting in the composite inhibitor forms a hydrophilic structure,which prevents the adsorption of the collector on the surface of feldspar by interacting with the Al active site.The combination of Ca^(2+)and SS synergically strengthens the difference of collecting property between quartz and feldspar by collector,thus achieving the effect of efficient separation.A new strategy for flotation to separate quartz from feldspar in near-neutral pulp was provided.

Development of Ni_(x)/Mg_(1-x)-MOF-74 for highly efficient CO_(2)/N_(2) separation

To enhance the separation selectivity of Mg-MOF-74 towards CO_(2) in a CO_(2)/N_(2) mixture,a series of Mg-MOF-74 and Ni_(x)/Mg_(1-x)-MOF-74 adsorbents were prepared by solvothermal synthesis in this paper.It was found that the adsorption capacity of Mg-MOF-74 for CO_(2) could be effectively increased by optimizing the amount of acetic acid.On this basis,the bimetal MOF-74 adsorbent was prepared by metal modification.The multi-component dynamic adsorption penetration analysis was utilized to examine the CO_(2) adsorption capacity and CO_(2)/N_(2) selectivity of the diverse adsorbent materials.The results showed that Ni0.11/Mg0.89-MOF-74 showed a CO_(2) adsorption capacity of 7.02 mmol/g under pure CO_(2) atmosphere and had a selectivity of 20.50 for CO_(2)/N_(2) under 15% CO_(2)/85%N_(2) conditions,which was 10.2% and 18.02% higher than that of Mg-MOF-74 respectively.Combining XPS,SEM and N_(2) adsorption-desorption characterization analysis,it was attributed to the effect of the more stable unsaturated metal sites Ni into the Mg-MOF-74 on the pore structure and the synergistic interaction between the two metals.Density Functional Theory(DFT)simulations revealed that the synergistic interaction between modulated the electrostatic potential strength and gradient of the material,which was more favorable for the adsorption of CO_(2) molecules with small diameters and large quadrupole moment.In addition,the Ni0.11/Mg0.89-MOF-74 showed commendable cyclic stability,underscoring its promising potential for practical applications.

Purification of Produced Water from a Sour Oilfield in South Kuwait. 1. Oil-Water Separation and Industrial Salt Production

Produced water from an oil extraction site in South Kuwait was sampled after primary oil – water separation had been carried out. The produced water was filtered through a mixture of activated charcoal and esterified cellulosic material gained from spent coffee grounds as a tertiary adsorption treatment. The earth-alkaline metal ions and heavy metals were separated from the de-oiled produced water by addition of either sodium or potassium hydroxide in the presence of carbon dioxide or by direct addition of solid sodium carbonate. The resulting filtrate gave salt of industrial purity upon selective crystallization on evaporation.

High adsorption selectivity of activated carbon and carbon molecular sieve boosting CO_(2)/N_(2) and CH_(4)/N_(2) separation

Flue gas and coal bed methane are two important sources of greenhouse gases.Pressure swing adsorption process has a wide range of application in the field of gas separation,and the selection of adsorbent is crucial.In this regard,in order to assess the better adsorbent for separating CO_(2) from flue gas and CH_(4) from coal bed methane,adsorption isotherms of CO_(2),CH_(4) and N_(2) on activated carbon and carbon molecular sieve are measured at 303.15,318.15 and 333.15 K,and up to 250 kPa.The experimental data fit better with Langmuir 2 compared to Langmuir 3 and Langmuir-Freundlich models,and Clausius-Clapeyron equation was used to calculate the isosteric heat.Both the order of the adsorbed amount and the adsorption heat on the two adsorbents are CO_(2)>CH_(4)>N_(2).The adsorption kinetics are calculated by the pseudo-first kinetic model,and the order of adsorption rates on activated carbon is N_(2)-CH_(4)>CO_(2),while on carbon molecular sieve,it is CO_(2)-N_(2)>CH_(4).It is shown that relative molecular mass and adsorption heat are the primary effect on kinetics for activated carbon,while kinetic diameter is the main resistance factor for carbon molecular sieve.Moreover,the adsorption selectivity of CH_(4)/N_(2) and CO_(2)/N_(2) were estimated with the ideal adsorption solution theory,and carbon molecular sieve performed best at 318.15 K for both CO_(2) and CH_(4) separation.The study suggested that activated carbon is a better choice for separating flue gas and carbon molecular sieve can be a strong candidate for separating coal bed methane.

Environmental,economic and exergy analysis of separation of ternary azeotrope by variable pressure extractive distillation based on multi-objective optimization

In this work,the ternary azeotrope of tert-butyl alcohol/ethyl acetate/water is separated by extractive distillation(ED)to recover the available constituents and protect the environment.Based on the conductor like shielding model and relative volatility method,ethylene glycol was selected as the extractant in the separation process.In addition,in view of the characteristic that the relative volatility between components changes with pressure,the multi-objective optimization method based on nondominated sorting genetic algorithm II optimizes the pressure and the amount of solvent cooperatively to avoid falling into the optimal local solution.Based on the optimal process parameters,the proposed heat-integrated process can reduce the gas emissions by 29.30%.The heat-integrated ED,further coupled with the pervaporation process,can reduce gas emission by 42.36%and has the highest exergy efficiency of 47.56%.In addition,based on the heat-integrated process,the proposed two heat pump assisted heat-integrated ED processes show good economic and environmental performance.The double heat pump assisted heat-integrated ED can reduce the total annual cost by 28.78%and the gas emissions by 55.83%compared with the basis process,which has a good application prospect.This work provides a feasible approach for the separation of ternary azeotropes.

Flotation separation of scheelite from calcite using luteolin as a novel depressant

This paper proposes luteolin(LUT)as a novel depressant for the flotation-based separation of scheelite and calcite in a sodium oleate(NaOL)system.The suitability of LUT as a calcite depressant is confirmed through micro-flotation testing.At pH=9,with LUT concentration of 50 mg·L^(-1) and NaOL concentration of 50 mg·L^(-1),scheelite recovery reaches 80.3%.Calcite,on the other hand,exhibits a recovery rate of 17.6%,indicating a significant difference in floatability between the two minerals.Subsequently,the surface modifica-tions of scheelite and calcite following LUT treatment are characterized using adsorption capacity testing,Zeta potential analysis,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and atomic force microscopy(AFM).The study in-vestigates the selective depressant mechanism of LUT on calcite.Adsorption capacity testing and Zeta potential analysis demonstrate sub-stantial absorption of LUT on the surface of calcite,impeding the further adsorption of sodium oleate,while its impact on scheelite is min-imal.FT-IR and XPS analyses reveal the selective adsorption of LUT onto the surface of calcite,forming strong chemisorption bonds between the hydroxyl group and calcium ions present.AFM directly illustrates the distinct adsorption densities of LUT on the two miner-al types.Consequently,LUT can effectively serve as a depressant for calcite,enabling the successful separation of scheelite and calcite.

Comment on:Recurrence after spontaneous separation of epiretinal membrane in a young woman:a case report

Dear Editor,Herein,we provide a commentary on the recently published article by Zeng QZ and Yu WZ[1].This case report provides interesting novel insights into the recurrence of epiretinal membrane(ERM)following self-separation in a young patient.In addition to the study,we have been investigating spontaneous ERM release for many years and have recently published a related paper[2].

Purification of Produced Water from a Sour Oilfield in South Kuwait. 2. Oil-Water Separation and Crystallization of Calcium Carbonate

Oil-water separation for produced water (PW) originating from an oil extraction site in South Kuwait was carried out using bleached, esterified cellulosic material from used coffee grounds. Thereafter, earth-alkaline metal ions, specifically calcium ions, of the de-oiled PW were removed by precipitation with sodium carbonate to give access to pure sodium chloride as industrial salt from the remaining PW. While the purity of the precipitated calcium carbonate (CaCO3) depends on the precipitation conditions, CaCO3 of up to 95.48% purity can be obtained, which makes it a salable product. The precipitation of CaCO3 decreases the amount of calcium ions in PW from 11,300 ppm to 84 ppm.

Few-layered hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets stabilized Pt NPs for oxidation promoted adsorptive desulfurization of fuel oil

A few-layered hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets stabilized platinum nanoparticles(Pt/h-BNNS)is engineered for oxidation-promoted adsorptive desulfurization(OPADS)of fuel oil.It was found that the few-layered structure and the defective sites of h-BNNS not only are beneficial to the stabilization of Pt NPs but also favor the adsorption of aromatic sulfides.By employing Pt/h-BNNS with a Pt loading amount of 1.19 wt%as the active adsorbent and air as an oxidant,a 98.0%sulfur removal over dibenzothiophene(DBT)is achieved along with a total conversion of the DBT to the corresponding sulfones(DBTO_(2)).Detailed experiments show that the excellent desulfurization activity originates from the few-layered structure of h-BNNS and the high catalytic activity of Pt NPs.In addition,the OPADS system with Pt/h-BNNS as the active adsorbent shows remarkable stability in desulfurization performance with the existence of different interferents such as olefin,and aromatic hydrocarbons.Besides,the Pt/h-BNNS can be recycled 12 times without a significant decrease in desulfurization performance.Also,a process flow diagram is proposed for deep desulfurization of fuel oil and recovery of high value-added products,which would promote the industrial application of such OPADS strategy.

Preparation of a zeolite-palladium composite membrane for hydrogen separation:Influence of zeolite film on membrane stability

With the development of hydrogen energy,palladium-based membranes have been widely used in hydrogen separation and purification.However,the poor chemical stability of palladium composite membranes limits their commercial applications.In this study,a zeolite-palladium composite membrane with a sandwich-like structure was obtained by using a TS-1 zeolite film grown on the surface of palladium membrane.The membrane microstructure was characterized by SEM and EDX.The effects of the TS-1 film on the hydrogen permeability and stability of palladium composite membrane were investigated in details.Benefited from the protection of the TS-1 zeolite film,the stability of palladium composite membrane was enhanced.The results indicate that the TS-1-Pd composite membrane was stable after eight cycles of the temperature exchange cycles between 773 K and 623 K.Especially,the loss of hydrogen permeance for TS-1-Pd composite membrane was much smaller than that of the pure palladium membrane when the membrane was tested in the presence of C3H6atmosphere.It indicated that the TS-1-Pd composite membrane had better chemical stability in comparison with pure palladium membrane,owing to its sandwich-like structure.This work provides an efficient way for the deposition of zeolite film on palladium membrane to enhance the membrane stability.

Role of tannin pretreatment in flotation separation of magnesite and dolomite

Flotation separation of magnesite and its calcium-containing carbonate minerals is a difficult problem.Recently,new regulat-ors have been proposed for magnesite flotation decalcification,although traditional regulators such as tannin,water glass,sodium carbon-ate,and sodium hexametaphosphate are more widely used in industry.However,they are rarely used as the main regulators in research because they perform poorly in magnesite and dolomite single-mineral flotation tests.Inspired by the limonite presedimentation method and the addition of a regulator to magnesite slurry mixing,we used a tannin pretreatment method for separating magnesite and dolomite.Microflotation experiments confirmed that the tannin pretreatment method selectively and largely reduces the flotation recovery rate of dolomite without affecting the flotation recovery rate of magnesite.Moreover,the contact angles of the tannin-pretreated magnesite and dolomite increased and decreased,respectively,in the presence of NaOl.Zeta potential and Fourier transform infrared analyses showed that the tannin pretreatment method efficiently hinders NaOl adsorption on the dolomite surface but does not affect NaOl adsorption on the magnesite surface.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations confirmed that tannin interacts more strongly with dolomite than with magnesite.

Ferric ion-triggered surface oxidation of galena for efficient chalcopyrite-galena separation

The efficient separation of chalcopyrite(CuFeS2)and galena(PbS)is essential for optimal resource utilization.However,find-ing a selective depressant that is environmentally friendly and cost effective remains a challenge.Through various techniques,such as mi-croflotation tests,Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,scanning electron microscopy(SEM)observation,X-ray photoelectron spec-troscopy(XPS),and Raman spectroscopy measurements,this study explored the use of ferric ions(Fe^(3+))as a selective depressant for ga-lena.The results of flotation tests revealed the impressive selective inhibition capabilities of Fe^(3+)when used alone.Surface analysis showed that Fe^(3+)significantly reduced the adsorption of isopropyl ethyl thionocarbamate(IPETC)on the galena surface while having a minimal impact on chalcopyrite.Further analysis using SEM,XPS,and Raman spectra revealed that Fe^(3+)can oxidize lead sulfide to form compact lead sulfate nanoparticles on the galena surface,effectively depressing IPETC adsorption and increasing surface hydrophilicity.These findings provide a promising solution for the efficient and environmentally responsible separation of chalcopyrite and galena.

A novel molybdenite depressant for efficient selective flotation separation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite

A novel small molecule depressant(M-DEP)was used to separate chalcopyrite and molybdenite via flotation.The results showed that M-DEP had an excellent selective depression on molybdenite,while had little effect on the flotation of chalcopyrite.The adsorption capacity of M-DEP on the surface of molybdenite was greater than that on chalcopyrite surface.The adsorption of M-DEP reduced the floatability of molybdenite and had less effect on the floatability of chalcopyrite,which was due to its different adsorption modes on the surface of the two minerals.Furthermore,the interaction between chalcopyrite and M-DEP was mainly chemical interaction,and almost all of the adsorbed M-DEP molecules were removed and replaced by sodium butyl xanthate(SBX).By contrast,hydrophobic interaction was the main way in which M-DEP was adsorbed on the molybdenite surface with little chemical interaction,which was less interfered by SBX addition.Therefore,M-DEP had a super selective depression on molybdenite.The study provided a novel depressant and approach for the deep separation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite via flotation.