CFD simulations of quenching process for partial oxidation of methane:Comparison of jet-in-cross-flow and impinging flow configurations

A new quenching process using the cold pyrolysis gas has been proposed for the partial oxidation(POX) of methane to recover the heat. The mixing of hot product gas and cold pyrolysis gas in milliseconds is critical to this new approach. Two most widely-used rapid mixing configurations, i.e. the jet-in-cross-flow(JICF) and impinging flow configurations, are compared in terms of mixing and quenching performances using computational fluid dynamics(CFD) coupled with detailed reaction mechanism Leeds 1.5. The mixedness, residence time distribution, temperature decreasing rate and loss ratio of acetylene during the quenching are systematically studied. The results show that the impinging flow has a more uniform mixing and narrower residence time distribution than the JICF.However, the temperature decreasing rate of the mainstream is faster in the JICF than in the impinging flow. The loss ratio of acetylene in the quenching process is 2.89% for the JICF and 1.45% for the impinging flow, showing that the impinging flow configuration is better and feasible for the quenching of POX of methane.

Highly efficient photocatalytic reduction of CO_2 and H_2O to CO and H_2 with a cobalt bipyridyl complex

The development of efficient molecular catalysts for visible-light driven CO2 reduction, based on abundant materials, is necessary to meet energy demands and address environment problems. In this work,a Co（bpy）2Cl2 catalyst was developed and showed high efficiency and durability for the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 and protons. Yields of CO and H2 as high as 62.3 and 69.9 μmol were achieved and the turnover numbers（TONs） reached 6230 and 6990, respectively, under light irradiation（λ 〉 420 nm）for 4 h, indicating that the mixture gases could be a candidate as syngas. The apparent quantum yield was determined to be 2.1% for CO. Mechanistic studies revealed oxidative quenching of the photosensitizer Ru（bpy）3Cl2 by the catalyst. The photocatalytic performance, flexible synthesis and non-noble metal catalyst in our system show great promise for the practical application of Co（bpy）2Cl2 to photocatalytic reduction of CO2.

Screening of Antioxidant Potential of Selected Barks of Indian Medicinal Plants by Multiple in vitro Assays

Objective To evaluate the antioxidant potential in herbal extract barks of five therapeutically important medicinal plants native to India, i.e. Crataeva nurvala Buch.-Ham., Buchanania lanzan Spreng., Aegle marmelos Corr., Dalbergia sissoo Roxb. ex DC., and Cedrela toona Roxb. Methods Standardized aqueous alcoholic extracts from the selected barks having different target radicals, such as superoxide radical, nitric oxide, ABTS radical, and peroxidative decomposition of phospholipids, were prepared and screened by multiple in vitro assays. These extracts were also tested for total phenolic and tannin content and correlated with antioxidant capacity. Results Total phenolic and tannin contents were found to be the highest in C. nurvala （195 GAE mg/g and 218.3 mg/g CE）. SOD mimetic activity was found to be the highest in Crataeva nurvula, although all barks showed activity more than IO3 units/mg extract. Lipid peroxidation inhibitory potential was found to be the highest in Crataeva nurvala （83.4% inhibition of MDA formation/10 μg extract）, and also showed a comparatively high NO quenching capacity （45.5% per 10 μg extract）. The highest NO quenching potential was found in Aegle marmelos （47.3% per 10 μg extract）. Cedrela toona showed the lowest LPO inhibitory potential and NO quenching capacity （50.5% and 30.5%, respectively）. Buchanania lanzan, a medicinal plant extensively used for inflammatory disorders and Dalbergia sissoo also showed 72.5% and 69.1% LPO inhibitory potential/10 μg extract. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity ranged from 0.24 to 0.39 mmol/L TEAC/mg extract, indicating that all the barks tested had ABTS^＋ radical quenching capacity. Conclusion Bark of Crataeva nurvula has the highest antioxidant capacity and a positive correlation between antioxidant activity and their plendic content was found.