Study on trifluoromethanesulfonic acid-promoted synthesis of daidzein: Process optimization and reaction mechanism

Daidzein has been widely used in pharmaceuticals,nutraceuticals,cosmetics,feed additives,etc.Its preparation process and related reaction mechanism need to be further investigated.A cost-effective process for synthesizing daidzein was developed in this work.In this article,a two-step synthesis of daidzein(Friedel–Crafts acylation and[5+1]cyclization)was developed via the employment of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid(TfOH)as an effective promoting reagent.The effect of reaction conditions such as solvent,the amount of TfOH,reaction temperature,and reactant ratio on the conversion rate and the yield of the reaction,respectively,was systematically investigated,and daidzein was obtained in 74.0%isolated yield under optimal conditions.Due to the facilitating effect of TfOH,the Friedel–Crafts acylation was completed within 10 min at 90℃ and the[5+1]cyclization was completed within 180 min at 25℃.In addition,a possible reaction mechanism for this process was proposed.The results of the study may provide useful guidance for industrial production of daidzein on a large scale.

Process synthesis for the separation of coal-to-ethanol products

The coal-to-ethanol process,as the clean coal utilization,faces challenges from the energy-intensive distillation that separates multi-component effluents for pure ethanol.Referring to at least eight columns,the synthesis of the ethanol distillation system is impracticable for exhaustive comparison and difficult for conventional superstructure-based optimization as rigorous models are used.This work adopts a superstructure-based framework,which combines the strategy that adaptively selects branches of the state-equipment network and the parallel stochastic algorithm for process synthesis.High-performance computing significantly reduces time consumption,and the adaptive strategy substantially lowers the complexity of the superstructure model.Moreover,parallel computing,elite search,population redistribution,and retention strategies for irrelevant parameters are used to improve the optimization efficiency further.The optimization terminates after 3000 generations,providing a flowsheet solution that applies two non-sharp splitting options in its distillation sequence.As a result,the 59-dimension superstructure-based optimization was solved efficiently via a differential evolution algorithm,and a high-quality solution with a 28.34%lower total annual cost than the benchmark was obtained.Meanwhile,the solution of the superstructure-based optimization is comparable to that obtained by optimizing a single specific configuration one by one.It indicates that the superstructure-based optimization that combines the adaptive strategy can be a promising approach to handling the process synthesis of large-scale and complex chemical processes.

Investigation into the Methodology and Implementation of Life Cycle Engineering under China’s Carbon Reduction Target in the Process Industry

The industrial sector is the primary source of carbon emissions in China.In pursuit of meeting its carbon reduction targets,China aims to promote resource consumption sustainability,reduce energy consumption,and achieve carbon neutrality within its processing industries.An effective strategy to promote energy savings and carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of materials is by applying life cycle engineering technology.This strategy aims to attain an optimal solution for material performance,resource consumption,and environmental impact.In this study,five types of technologies were considered:raw material replacement,process reengineering,fuel replacement,energy recycling and reutilization,and material recycling and reutilization.The meaning,methodology,and development status of life cycle engineering technology abroad and domestically are discussed in detail.A multidimensional analysis of ecological design was conducted from the perspectives of resource and energy consumption,carbon emissions,product performance,and recycling of secondary resources in a manufacturing process.This coupled with an integrated method to analyze carbon emissions in the entire life cycle of a material process industry was applied to the nonferrous industry,as an example.The results provide effective ideas and solutions for achieving low or zero carbon emission production in the Chinese industry as recycled aluminum and primary aluminum based on advanced technologies had reduced resource consumption and emissions as compared to primary aluminum production.

Scalable solid-phase synthesis of defect-rich graphene for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Defect-engineered carbon materials have been emerged as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in metal-air batteries.Developing a facile strategy for the preparation of highly active nanocarbon electrocatalysts remains challenging.Herein,a low-cost and simple route is developed to synthesize defective graphene by pyrolyzing the mixture of glucose and carbon nitride.Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the graphene formation is ascribed to two-dimensional layered feature of carbon nitride,and high compatibility of carbon nitride/glucose systems.Structural measurements suggest that the graphene possesses rich edge and topological defects.The graphene catalyst exhibits higher power density than commercial Pt/C catalyst in a primary Zn-air battery.Combining experimental results and theoretical thermodynamic analysis,it is identified that graphitic nitrogen-modified topological defects at carbon framework edges are responsible for the decent ORR performance.The strategy presented in this work can be can be scaled up readily to fabricate defective carbon materials.

Electrochemical urea synthesis by co-reduction of CO_(2) and nitrate with Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe^(Ⅲ)OOH@BiVO_(4) heterostructures

Traditional urea synthesis under harsh conditions is usually associated with high energy input and has aroused severe environmental concerns.Electrocatalytic C-N coupling by converting nitrate and CO_(2) into urea under ambient conditions represents a promising alternative process.But it was still limited by the strong competition between nitrate electrochemical reduction(NO_(3)ER) and CO_(2) electrochemical reduction(CO_(2)ER).Here,Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-n heterostructures are constructed through hydrothermal synthesis and exhibited superior performance toward urea electrosynthesis with NO_(3)~-and CO_(2) as feedstocks.The optimized urea yield and Faradaic efficiency over Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-2 can reach13.8 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) and 11.5% at-0.8 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode,which is much higher than that of bare FeOOH(3.2 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) and 1.3%),pristine BiVO_(4)(2.0 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) and 5.4%),and the other Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-n(n=1,3,5) heterostructures.Systematic experiments have verified that BiVO_(4)and FeOOH are subreaction active sites towards simultaneous CO_(2)ER and NO_(3)ER,respectively,achieving co-activation of CO_(2) and NO_(3)~-on Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-2.Moreover,the urea synthesis via the ^(*)CO and NO*intermediates and C-N coupling was confirmed by the in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.This work not only alleviates the CO_(2) emission and nitrate pollution but also presents an efficient catalyst for synergistic catalysis towards sustainable urea synthesis.

One-pot synthesis of bimetallic CeCu-SAPO-34 for high-efficiency selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides with NH_(3) at low temperature

NH_(3) selective catalytic reduction(SCR) has been widely recognized as a promising technique for reducing nitrogen oxides from diesel vehicle exhausts. High-efficiency SCR catalysts that could perform at low temperatures are essential to denitration. In this work, a series of bimetallic CeCu-SAPO-34 molecular sieves were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method. The Ce Cu-SAPO-34 maintained good crystallinity and a regular hexahedron appearance of Cu-SAPO-34 after introducing Ce species, while exhibiting a higher specific surface area and pore volume. The as-prepared CeCu-SAPO-34 with 0.02%(mass) Ce constituent exhibited the best catalytic activity below 300℃ and a maximum NO_(x) conversion of 99% was attained;the NO_(x) removal rates of more than 68% and 94% were achieved at 150℃ and 200℃, respectively. And the introduction of cerium species in Cu-SAPO-34 improves the low-temperature hydrothermal stability of the catalyst towards NH_(3)-SCR reaction. Additionally, the introduced Ce species could enhance the formation of abundant weak Br?nsted acid centers and promote the synergistic effect between CuO grains and isolated Cu^(2+) to enhance the redox cycle, which benefit the NH_(3)-SCR reaction.This work provides a facile synthesis method of high-efficiency SCR denitration catalysts towards diesel vehicles exhaust treatment under low temperature.

Microbial synthesis of N, P co-doped carbon supported PtCu catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Developing highly efficient and stable platinum-based electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is critical to expediting commercialization of fuel cells.Herein,several PtCu alloy nanocatalysts supported on N,P co-doped carbon(PtCu/NPC) were prepared by microbial-sorption and carbonization-reduction.Among them,PtCu/NPC-700 ℃ exhibits excellent catalytic performance for ORR with a mass activity of 0.895 A mg_(pt)^(-1)(@0.9 V) which is 8.29 folds of commercial Pt/C.Additionally,the ECSA and MA of PtCu/NPC-700℃ only decrease by 14.2% and 18.7% respectively,while Pt/C decreases by 35.2% and 52.8% after 10,000 cycles of ADT test.Moreover,the PtCu/NPC-700℃ catalyst emanates a maximum power density of 715 mW cm^(-2) and only 11.1% loss of maximum power density after 10,000 ADTs in single-cell test,indicating PtCu/NPC-700℃ also manifests higher activity and durability in actual single-cell operation than Pt/C.This research provides an easy and novel strategy for developing highly active and durable Pt-based alloy catalyst.

Synthesis of Al_2OC Compound by Carbothermal Reduction Process with Boron Oxide Additive

The synthesis method of Al2OC by adding B2O3 was studied to modulate the traditional synthesis process.The mixtures of active carbon,alumina and boron oxide with different carbon contents were heated at 1 700 ℃ for 2 h in flowing argon atmosphere to get the Al2OC product.The results indicate that the addition of B203 promotes the formation of Al2OC,which is dependent on the addition of B2 O3,and the Al2 OC content in the products increases with the increase of carbon.By systematically exploring the ratio of active carbon,alumina and boron oxide,the best formulation and the corresponding reaction mechanism were determined.

Optimal synthesis of heat-integrated distillation configurations using the two-column superstructure

In the realm of the synthesis of heat-integrated distillation configurations,the conventional approach for exploring more heat integration possibilities typically entails the splitting of a single column into a twocolumn configuration.However,this approach frequently necessitates tedious enumeration procedures,resulting in a considerable computational burden.To surmount this formidable challenge,the present study introduces an innovative remedy:The proposition of a superstructure that encompasses both single-column and multiple two-column configurations.Additionally,a simultaneous optimization algorithm is applied to optimize both the process parameters and heat integration structures of the twocolumn configurations.The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through a case study focusing on industrial organosilicon separation.The results underscore that the superstructure methodology not only substantially mitigates computational time compared to exhaustive enumeration but also furnishes solutions that exhibit comparable performance.

Comprehensive understanding of the thriving electrocatalytic nitrate/nitrite reduction to ammonia under ambient conditions

Ammonia(NH_(3))is a multifunctional compound that is an important feedstock for the agricultural and pharmaceutical industries and attractive energy storage medium.At present,NH_(3)synthesis is highly dependent on the conventional Haber–Bosch process that operates under harsh conditions,which consumes large quantities of fossil fuels and releases a large amount of carbon dioxide.As an alternative,electrosynthesis is a prospective method for producing NH_(3)under normal temperature and pressure conditions.Although electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction to ammonia has attracted considerable attentions,the low solubility of N_(2)and high N≡N cracking energy render the achievements of high NH_(3) yield rate and Faradaic efficiency difficult.Nitrate and nitrite(NO_(x)^(-))are common N-containing pollutants.Due to their high solubilities and low dissociation energy of N=O,NO_(x)^(-)−are ideal raw materials for NH_(3) production.Therefore,electrocatalytic NO_(x)^(-)−reduction to NH_(3)(eNO_(x)RR)is a prospective strategy to simultaneously realise environmental protection and NH_(3) synthesis.This review offers a comprehensive understanding of the thriving eNO_(x)RR under ambient conditions.At first,the popular theory and mechanism of eNO_(x)RR and a summary of the measurement system and evaluation criteria are introduced.Thereafter,various strategies for developing NO_(x)−reduction catalysts are systematically presented and discussed.Finally,the challenges and possible prospects of electrocatalytic NO_(x)^(-1) reduction are outlined to facilitate energy-saving and environmentally friendly large-scale synthesis of NH_(3) in the future.

Progress in electrocatalytic nitrate reduction for green energy:Catalyst engineering,mechanisms,and techno-economic feasibility

Ammonia(NH_(3))is an irreplaceable chemical that has been widely demanded to keep the sustainable development of modern society.However,its industrial production consumes a huge amount of energy and releases extraordinary greenhouse gases(GHGs),leading to various environmental issues.Achieving the green production of ammonia is a great challenge,which has been extensively pursued in the last decade.In this review,the most promising strategy,electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction(e-NO_(3)RR),is comprehensively investigated to give a complete understanding of its development and mechanism and provide guidance for future directions.However,owing to the complex reactions and limited selectivity,a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms is crucial to further development and commercialization.Moreover,NO_(3)^(-)RR is a promising strategy for simultaneous water treatment and NH_(3)production.A detailed overview of the recent progress in NO_(3)^(-)RR for NH_(3)production with nontransition and transition metal based electrocatalysts is summarized.In addition,critical advanced techniques,future challenges,and prospects are discussed to guide future research on transition metal-based catalysts for commercial NH_(3)synthesis by NO_(3)^(-)reduction.

Electrocatalysts with atomic-level site for nitrate reduction to ammonia

Ammonia(NH_(3))is an important raw material for modern agriculture and industry,being widely demanded to sustain the sustainable development of modern society.Currently,the industrial production methods of NH_(3),such as the traditional Haber-Bosch process,have drawbacks including high energy consumption and significant carbon dioxide emissions.In recent years,the electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction(NO_(3)RR)powered by intermittent renewable energy sources has gradually become a multidisciplinary research hotspot,as it allows for the efficient synthesis of NH_(3)under mild conditions.In this review,we focus on the research of electrocatalysts with atomic-level site,which have attracted attention due to their extremely high atomic utilization efficiency and unique structural characteristics in the field of NO_(3)RR.Firstly,we introduce the mechanism of nitrate reduction for ammonia synthesis and discuss the in-situ characterization techniques related to the mechanism study.Secondly,we review the progress of the electrocatalysts with atomic-level site for nitrate reduction and explore the structure-activity relationship to guide the rational design of efficient catalysts.Lastly,the conclusions of this review and the challenges and prospective of this promising field are presented.

A thermodynamic view on the in-situ carbon dioxide reduction by biomass-derived hydrogen during calcium carbonate decomposition

In the carbonate industry,deep decarbonization strategies are necessary to effectively remediate CO_(2).These strategies mainly include both sustainable energy supplies and the conversion of CO_(2)in downstream processes.This study developed a coupled process of biomass chemical looping H2 production and reductive calcination of CaCO_(3).Firstly,a mass and energy balance of the coupled process was established in Aspen Plus.Following this,process optimization and energy integration were implemented to provide optimized operation conditions.Lastly,a life cycle assessment was carried out to assess the carbon footprint of the coupled process.Results reveal that the decomposition temperature of CaCO_(3)in an H_(2)atmosphere can be reduced to 780℃(generally around 900℃),and the conversion of CO_(2)from CaCO_(3)decomposition reached 81.33%with an H2:CO ratio of 2.49 in gaseous products.By optimizing systemic energy through heat integration,an energy efficiency of 86.30%was achieved.Additionally,the carbon footprint analysis revealed that the process with energy integration had a low global warming potential(GWP)of-2.624 kg·kg^(-1)(CO_(2)/CaO).Conclusively,this work performed a systematic analysis of introducing biomass-derived H_(2)into CaCO_(3)calcination and demonstrated the positive role of reductive calcination using green H_(2)in mitigating CO_(2)emissions within the carbonate industry.

Highly selective photocatalytic reduction of CO_(2) to CH_(4) on electron-rich Fe species cocatalyst under visible light irradiation

Efficient photocatalytic reduction of CO_(2) to high-calorific-value CH4,an ideal target product,is a blueprint for C_(1)industry relevance and carbon neutrality,but it also faces great challenges.Herein,we demonstrate unprecedented hybrid SiC photocatalysts modified by Fe-based cocatalyst,which are prepared via a facile impregnation-reduction method,featuring an optimized local electronic structure.It exhibits a superior photocatalytic carbon-based products yield of 30.0μmol g^(−1) h^(−1) and achieves a record CH_(4) selectivity of up to 94.3%,which highlights the effectiveness of electron-rich Fe cocatalyst for boosting photocatalytic performance and selectivity.Specifically,the synergistic effects of directional migration of photogenerated electrons and strongπ-back bonding on low-valence Fe effectively strengthen the adsorption and activation of reactants and intermediates in the CO_(2)→CH_(4) pathway.This study inspires an effective strategy for enhancing the multielectron reduction capacity of semiconductor photocatalysts with low-cost Fe instead of noble metals as cocatalysts.

Synthesis of a chabazite-supported copper catalyst with full mesopores for selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides at low temperature

A series of meso‐microporous copper‐supporting chabazite molecular sieve（CuSAPO‐34） catalysts with excellent performance in low‐temperature ammonia selective catalytic reduction（NH3‐SCR）have been synthesized via a one‐pot hydrothermal crystallization method. The physicochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption‐desorption measurements, X‐ray diffraction, 27 Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet‐visible spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma‐atomic emission spectroscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature‐programmed reduction measurements, and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis. The formation of micro‐mesopores in the Cu‐SAPO‐34 catalysts decreases diffusion resistance and greatly improves the accessibility of reactants to catalytic active sites. The main active sites for NH3‐SCR reaction are the isolated Cu^2＋ species displaced into the ellipsoidal cavity of the Cu‐SAPO‐34 catalysts.

A Review of the Application of Process Evaluation in Junior High School English Teaching under “Double Reduction”

The “Double Reduction” policy is not only to reduce the excessive learning burden of students, but also to improve the quality of students’ learning and to promote their overall development. In order to achieve the goal of the “Double Reduction” policy, it is necessary to focus on the implementation of measures to strengthen process evaluation as proposed in the “General Plan for Deepening Education Evaluation Reform in a New Era”. Therefore, the article will analyze the current situation of the research from three aspects: the connotation of “Double Reduction” and process evaluation, process evaluation under “Double Reduction” and process evaluation in English teaching, and look forward to the future development trend, with the aim of implementing the “Double Reduction” policy and giving full play to process evaluation. The aim is to implement the policy of “Double Reduction” and give full play to the role of process evaluation, so as to effectively guide the practice of English teaching.

Precisely Controlled Synthesis of Pt-Pd Octahedral Nanoframes as a Superior Catalyst towards Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Pt-based nanoframes represent a class of promising catalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction. Herein, we, for the first time, successfully prepared Pt-Pd octahedral nanoframes with ultrathin ridges less than 2 nm in thickness. The Pt-Pd octahedral nanoframes were obtained through site-selected deposition of Pt atoms onto the edge sites of Pd octahedral seeds, followed by selective removal of the Pd octahedral cores via chemical etching. Due to that a combination of three-dimensional opens geometrical structure and Pt-skin surface compositional structure, the Pt-Pd octahedral nanoframes/C catalyst shows a mass activity of 1.15 A/mgPt towards oxygen reduction reaction, 5.8 times enhancement in mass activity relative to commercial Pt/C catalyst （0.20 A/mgPt）. Moreover, even after 8000 cycles of accelerated durability test, the Pt-Pd octahedral nanoframes/C catalyst still exhibits a mass activity which is more than three times higher than that of pristine Pt/C catalyst.

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis using Co and Co-Ru bifunctional nanocatalyst supported on carbon nanotube prepared via chemical reduction method

We used a chemical reduction method to synthesize the catalysts of cobalt(Co) and cobalt-ruthenium(Co-Ru) bifunctional supported on carbon nanotubes(CNTs) for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis(FTS) in a fixedbed reactor. These Co-Ru/CNTs catalysts were synthesized with various weight proportions of Ru/Co(0.1 to 0.4 wt%) with keeping a fixed amount of cobalt(10 wt%). Moreover, for comparison purpose, CNTs supported Co-and Co(Ru)-based catalysts at same loading as the above catalysts were prepared through impregnation method. We characterize the present catalysts through the various techniques such as Energy–dispersive X-ray(EDX), Transmission Electron Microscopy(TEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller(BET),Hydrogen-Temperature-Programmed Reduction(H_2-TPR), Hydrogen-Temperature-Programmed Desorption(H_2-TPD) and O_2 titration. Thus using the chemical reduction method, a narrow particle size distribution was obtained so that the small cobalt particles were confined inside the CNTs. The Co-based catalyst prepared by impregnation was compared with the Co-Ru catalysts at the same loading. The results demonstrated that the use of chemical reduction method led to decrease the average Co oxide cluster size to8.7 nm so that the reduction enhanced about 24% and stabilized an earlier time at the stream. Among the prepared catalysts, the results indicated that the Co-Ru/CNTs catalysts demonstrated high catalytic activity with the highest long-chain hydrocarbons(C_(5+)), selectivity up to 74.76%, which was higher than those we obtained by the Co-Ru/γ-Al_2O_3(61._20%), Co/CNTs(43.68%) and Co/γ-Al_2O_3(37.69%). At the same time, comparing with those catalyst synthesized by impregnation, the use of chemical reduction led to enhancement of the C_(5+) selectivity from 59.30% to 68.83% and increment in FTS rate about 11% for the Co-Ru/CNTs catalyst.

Combustion synthesis of FeAl−Al2O3 composites with TiB2 and TiC additions via metallothermic reduction of Fe2O3 and TiO2

Combustion synthesis involving metallothermic reduction of Fe2O3 and TiO2 was conducted in the mode of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis(SHS)to fabricate FeAl-based composites with dual ceramic phases,TiB2/Al2O3 and TiC/Al2O3.The reactant mixture included thermite reagents of 0.6Fe2O3+0.6TiO2+2Al,and elemental Fe,Al,boron,and carbon powders.The formation of xFeAl−0.6TiB2−Al2O3 composites with x=2.0−3.6 and yFeAl−0.6TiC−Al2O3 composites with y=1.8−2.75 was studied.The increase of FeAl causes a decrease in the reaction exothermicity,thus resulting in the existence of flammability limits of x=3.6 and y=2.75 for the SHS reactions.Based on combustion wave kinetics,the activation energies of Ea=97.1 and 101.1 kJ/mol are deduced for the metallothermic SHS reactions.XRD analyses confirm in situ formation of FeAl/TiB2/Al2O3 and FeAl/TiC/Al2O3 composites.SEM micrographs exhibit that FeAl is formed with a dense polycrystalline structure,and the ceramic phases,TiB2,TiC,and Al2O3,are micro-sized discrete particles.The synthesized FeAl−TiB2−Al2O3 and FeAl−TiC−Al2O3 composites exhibit the hardness ranging from 12.8 to 16.6 GPa and fracture toughness from 7.93 to 9.84 MPa·m1/2.

Atomic Level Dispersed Metal–Nitrogen–Carbon Catalyst toward Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Synthesis Strategies and Chemical Environmental Regulation

For development and application of proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) energy transformation technology, the cost performance must be elevated for the catalyst. At present, compared with noble metal-based catalysts, such as Pt-based catalysts, atomically dispersed metal–nitrogen–carbon(M–N–C) catalysts are popularity and show great potential in maximizing active site density, high atom utilization and high activity,making them the first choice to replace Pt-based catalysts. In the preparation of atomically dispersed metal–nitrogen–carbon catalyst, it is difficult to ensure that all active sites are uniformly dispersed, and the structure system of the active sites is not optimal. Based on this, we focus on various approaches for preparing M–N–C catalysts that are conducive to atomic dispersion, and the influence of the chemical environmental regulation of atoms on the catalytic sites in different catalysts. Therefore, we discuss the chemical environmental regulation of the catalytic sites by bimetals, atom clusters, and heteroatoms(B, S, and P). The active sites of M–N–C catalysts are explored in depth from the synthesis and characterization, reaction mechanisms, and density functional theory(DFT)calculations. Finally, the existing problems and development prospects of the current atomic dispersion M–N–C catalyst are proposed in detail.