Benzene and Toluene Levels Measured with DOAS During Vehicular Restrictions in Beijing

Measurements of atmospheric benzene and toluene were carried out continuously using dif- ferential optical absorption spectroscopy from August 7 to August 28 in Beijing during the period of vehicular restrictions. The correlations between traffic flows and totals of benzene and toluene were studied during the period of vehicular traffic restrictions from August 17 to August 20 and non-traffic restrictions on August 16 and August 21. The correlation coef- ficient was 0.8 between benzene and toluene. And the calculated daily mean value ratios of benzene to toluene were 0.43-0.50. During the period of vehicular restrictions, traffic flows were reduced about 11.8% and the levels of benzene and toluene were reduced by 11.4% and 12.8%, respectively. The vehicle emissions were recognized as the major sources for atmospheric benzene and toluene in Beijing.

Distribution Coefficient of Caprolactam and Methyl Caprolactam Using Benzene or Toluene as Extractants： Experiments and Prediction

To get high purity caprolactam is a challenging task in the chemical fiber industry. To date, reports on the prediction of the distribution of caprolactam and its derivative chemicals have been few. In this study, the extraction of caprolactam with toluene as the extractant and N-methyl caprolactam with benzene and toluene as theextractants has been camed out. By defining new UNIFAC groups and calibrating related interaction parameters, aUNIFAC method was introduced to predict the equilibrium concentration of caprolactam and methyl caprolactam intoluene or benzene extraction processes. The calculated results fit very well With the experimental data. Using theUNIFAC model, the selectivity of extractants can be predicted.

Bio-removal of mixture of benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,and xylenes/total petroleum hydrocarbons/trichloroethylene from contaminated water

Four pure cultures were isolated from soil samples potentially contaminated with gasoline compounds either at a construction site near a gas station in Fai Chi Kei,Macao SAR or in the northern parts of China（Beijing,and Hebei and Shandong）.The effects of different concentrations of benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,and three isomers（ortho-,meta-,and para-） of xylene（BTEX）,total petroleum hydrocarbons（TPH）,and trichloroethylene（TCE）,when they were present in mixtures,on the bio-removal effciencies of microbial isolates were investigated,together with their interactions during the bio-removal process.When the isolates were tested for the BTEX（50-350 mg/L）/TPH（2000 mg/L） mixture,BTEoX in BTEoX/TPH mixture was shown with higher bio-removal effciencies,while BTEmX in BTEmX/TPH mixture was shown with the lowest,regardless of isolates.The TPH in BTEmX/TPH mixture,on the other hand,were generally shown with higher bio-removal effciencies compared to when TPH mixed with BTEoX and BTEpX.When these BTEX mixtures（at 350 mg/L） were present with TCE（5-50 mg/L）,the stimulatory effect of TCE toward BTEoX bio-removal was observed for BTEoX/TCE mixture,while the inhibitory effect of TCE toward BTEmX for BTEmX/TCE mixture.The bio-removal effciency for TPH was shown lower in TPH（2000 mg/L）/TCE（5-50 mg/L） mixtures compared to TPH present alone,implying the inhibitory effect of TCE toward TPH bio-removal.For the mixture of BTEX（417 mg/L）,TPH（2000 mg/L） along with TCE（5- 50 mg/L）,TCE was shown co-metabolically removed more effciently at 15 mg/L,probably utilizing BTEX and/or TPH as primary substrates.

Occupational Health Risk Assessment of Benzene,Toluene,and Xylene in Shanghai

Objective This study was designed to conduct a retrospective and systematic occupational health risk assessment(OHRA)of enterprises that used benzene,toluene,and xylene(BTX)in Shanghai,China.Methods All data for the study were obtained from 1,705 occupational health examination and evaluation reports from 2013 to 2017,and a semiquantitative model following Chinese OHRA guidelines(GBZ/T 298-2017)was applied for the assessment.Results The selected enterprises using BTX were mainly involved in manufacturing of products.Using the exposure level method,health risk levels associated with exposure to BTX were classified as medium,negligible,or low.However,the risk levels associated with benzene and toluene were significantly different according to job types,with gluers and inkers exhibiting greater health risks.For the same job type,the health risk levels assessed using the comprehensive index method were higher than those using the exposure level method.Conclusion Our OHRA reveals that workers who are exposed to BTX still face excessive health risk.Additionally,the risk level varied depending on job categories and exposure to specific chemicals.Therefore,additional control measures recommended by OHRA guidelines are essential to reduce worker exposure levels.

Efficient conversion of benzene and syngas to toluene and xylene over ZnO-ZrO_(2)&H-ZSM-5 bifunctional catalysts

A series of ZnO-ZrO_(2) solid solutions with different Zn contents were synthesized by the urea coprecipitation method,which were coupled with H-ZSM-5 zeolite to form bifunctional catalysts.As a new benzene alkylation reagent,syngas was used instead of methanol to realize the efficient conversion of syngas and benzene into toluene and xylene.A suitable ratio of ZnO-ZrO_(2) led to the significant improvement in the catalytic performance,and a suitable amount of acid helped to increase the selectivity of toluene/xylene and reduce the selectivity of the by-products ethylbenzene and C^(9+) aromatics.The highest benzene conversion of 89.2%and toluene/xylene selectivity of 88.7%were achieved over 10%ZnO-ZrO_(2)&H-ZSM-5(Si/Al=23)at a pressure of 3 MPa and a temperature of 450℃.In addition,the effect of the zeolite framework structure on product distribution was examined.Similar to the molecular dynamics of aromatic hydrocarbons,H-ZSM-5 zeolites comprise 10-membered-ring pores,which are beneficial to the activation of benzene;hence,the conversion of benzene is higher.H-ZSM-35 and HMOR zeolites exhibited small eight-membered-ring channels,which were not conducive to the passage of benzene;hence,the by-product ethylbenzene exhibits a higher selectivity.The distance between the active centers of the bifunctional catalysts was the main factor affecting the catalytic performance,and the powder mixing method was more conducive to the conversion of syngas and benzene.

Optimization of the reflux ratio of benzene-toluene stage distillation columns by the Cuckoo algorithm

In this study, an enthalpy-concentration method was applied in order to model a steady state continuous benzene-toluene mixture distillation column. For a distillation tower such as the benzene- toluene splitter, there are relatively few degrees of freedom that can be manipulated in order to minimize the total annualized cost. The reflux ratio can influence the steady-state operating point and therefore influence the total annualized cost. The trade-offs between reflux ratios and total annualized cost were discussed. The Cuckoo optimization algorithm was applied to obtain a correlation for the optimum value of the reflux ratio as a power function of the economic parameters of energy price and capital cost. The results show that, at low energy price or high capital cost, the optimum reflux factor is high.

VAPOR-LIQUID EQUILIBRIUM FOR TERNARY MIXTURES OF BENZENE,TOLUENE,AND p-XYLENE

Vapor-liquid equilibrium composition and temperature were measured for binary andternary mixtures of benzene,toluene and p-xylene at 101.33 kPa The equilibrium cell of Boubliketal.was modified for the present study.The experimental vapor-liquid equilibrium data were corre-lated with the Wilson equation.

Biodegradation of Benzene and Toluene under Enhanced Denitrifying Conditions

Abstract The biodegradation of benzene and toluene was studied by aquifer material microcosm experiment in laboratory under enhanced denitrifying conditions. Based on analyses and contrast of the experiment results, the following important conclusions were obtained. Microorganisms can utilize nitrate as the electron acceptor to degrade benzene and toluene under enhanced denitrifying conditions. The denitrifiers come from the aquifer material. The macro-nutrient that microorganisms need is provided by benzene, toluene and nitrate, and the trace elements come from the aquifer material. Environmental conditions have great effects on the biodegradation of benzene and toluene, and the pH values strongly inhibit the biodegradation when they are too high or too low.

Adsorption-Desorption of BTX (Benzene, Toluene and O-xylene) on Fe, Fe-Al Pillared Clay

The studies are conducted in laboratory to determine the adsorption-desorption behavior of BTX (benzene, toluene and o-xylene) in gas phase on Fe, Fe-Al pillared clays adsorbents. In experimental conditions of constant atmospheric pressure, initial concentrations with an increasing volume (0.5 - 2 ml) injected benzene (2.25), toluene (1.89) and o-xylene (1.66) μmol/L at T (40℃, 60℃ and 80℃), and the adsorption increases with increase of temperature, indicating that the adsorption process would be a chemical adsorption rather than physical one. The results are shown that the BTX adsorption data fitted very well (R2 > 0.999) to the both equations Langmuire and Elovitch for the three samples: bentonite (B), Fe-bentonite () and Fe-Al/bentonite (). At 80℃, the BTX adsorption capacity increased in the following order: . The maximum adsorption capacity () at 80℃ is 175.13, 171.84 and 171.81 μg/g respectively for benzene, toluene and o-xylene for;the last is a good adsorbent of BTX removal. The benzene diffuses faster than toluene and o-xylene. Thermodynamic parameters, such as ,and are also discussed and the results suggested that the BTX adsorption on all samples used is a spontaneous and endothermic process. Desorption studies show that BTX is very easily desorbed with .

Surface Modification of Commercial Activated Carbon (CAG) for the Adsorption of Benzene and Toluene

In this work, we determined the surface characteristics of natural (CA-1) and HNO3 treated (CA-2) CAG. Equilibrium, kinetics and breakthrough for adsorption of benzene and toluene by CA-1 and CA-2 were studied. Concentrations of benzene and toluene (mg/L) were determined by gas chromatography with headspace extraction. The data of adsorption kinetic and equilibrium were best fitted by pseudo-second order model and Langmuir isotherm, respectively. The best results of benzene and toluene adsorption from fixed bed were obtained at volumetric flow rate (Q1 = 70 mL/min) using adsorbent CA-2. The study of inferential statistics revealed that CA-1 and CA-2 adsorbents are statistically different at a 5% significance level.

Efficient activation of the Co/SBA-15catalyst by high-frequency AC-DBD plasma thermal effects for toluene removal

Dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)plasma excited by a high-frequency alternating-current(AC)power supply is widely employed for the degradation of volatile organic compounds(VOCs).However,the thermal effect generated during the discharge process leads to energy waste and low energy utilization efficiency.In this work,an innovative DBD thermally-conducted catalysis(DBD-TCC)system,integrating high-frequency AC-DBD plasma and its generated thermal effects to activate the Co/SBA-15 catalyst,was employed for toluene removal.Specifically,Co/SBA-15 catalysts are closely positioned to the ground electrode of the plasma zone and can be heated and activated by the thermal effect when the voltage exceeds 10 k V.At12.4 k V,the temperature in the catalyst zone reached 261℃ in the DBD-TCC system,resulting in an increase in toluene degradation efficiency of 17%,CO_(2)selectivity of 21.2%,and energy efficiency of 27%,respectively,compared to the DBD system alone.In contrast,the DBD thermally-unconducted catalysis(DBD-TUC)system fails to enhance toluene degradation due to insufficient heat absorption and catalytic activation,highlighting the crucial role of AC-DBD generated heat in the activation of the catalyst.Furthermore,the degradation pathway and mechanism of toluene in the DBD-TCC system were hypothesized.This work is expected to provide an energy-efficient approach for high-frequency AC-DBD plasma removal of VOCs.

Co_(3)O_(4)/TiO_(2) composite photocatalyst:Preparation and synergistic degradation performance of toluene

TiO_(2) nanobelts and Co_(3)O_(4)/TiO_(2) catalytic materials were prepared using the hydrothermal method.The cat-alyst was characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,X-ray electron spectroscopy,and fluorescence spectroscopy.At room temperature,with a relative humidity of 50.0%,the total gas flow rate of 1.0 L·min-1,the space velocity of 1.05×10^(4) h^(-1),and toluene volume concentration of 25.0µL·L^(-1),two 6 W vacuum ultraviolet lamps were used as light sources to catalyze,degrade,and mineralize toluene.The results show that the prepared catalyst is in the shape of nano-ribbons.The loading of Co_(3)O_(4) inhibits the recombina-tion of photogenerated electrons and holes and can effectively improve the catalytic performance.The Co_(3)O_(4)/TiO_(2) with a load of 6.0%Co_(3)O_(4) has the best catalytic effect.When N2 was used as a carrier gas,the degradation rate of tol-uene was only 34.7%.The toluene degradation is mainly due to the photolysis of vacuum ultraviolet light.When air was used as a carrier gas,O_(3) was produced.The Co_(3)O_(4)/TiO_(2) with a load of 6.0%and vacuum ultraviolet synergistical-ly promote toluene degradation.The highest degradation rate of toluene was 91.7%and the mineralization rate was 74.6%.The degradation rate of toluene was 2.6 times that of nitrogen as a carrier gas.

Preparation of Corncob-Like WO3 Nanomaterials and Their Photocatalytic Treatment of Toluene

Corn rod-like WO3 nanomaterials were successfully synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The morphology, structure and optical absorption properties of the prepared samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, FTIR and UV-Vis-DRS. The WO3 materials were corn rod-like morphology with about 800 nm for length and 150 nm for diameter, especially there were plenty of corn particles (about 20 nm) on the surface of corn rods. The X-ray diffraction peaks of the products corresponded with WO3 standard card, and the characteristic peak of W-O bond was found in the infrared spectrum. The absorption band edge of the products was about 480 nm, indicating their potential visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity. In situ FTIR technology research showed that the prepared WO3 nanomaterials had visible photocatalytic activity to gas-phase toluene. After a photocatalytic reaction for 8 hours toluene was effectively degraded, and carboxylic acid and aldehyde could be regarded as the intermediate products, and CO2 was produced as the final product during the reaction process.

Vanadium supported on graphitic carbon nitride as a heterogeneous catalyst for the direct oxidation of benzene to phenol

A series of graphitic carbon nitride supported vanadium catalysts（xV/g-C3N4） with different vanadium contents（x/%） were prepared by impregnation.XRD,FT-IR,TEM,TG-DTG,nitrogen adsorption and XPS characterizations were conducted which revealed a strong interaction between the vanadium species and g-C3N4 support.8V/g-C3N4 exhibited the highest activity and showed stable recyclability in the benzene hydroxylation reaction with a benzene conversion of 24.6%and phenol selectivity of 99.2%under the optimized conditions.The excellent catalytic performance of xV/g-C3N4 was due to the integration of vanadium species with high catalytic activity and the g-C3N4support in their interaction with the benzene substrate.

Pt/Co_3O_4/3DOM Al_2O_3:Highly effective catalysts for toluene combustion

Three-dimensionally ordered macro-/mesoporous alumina（3DOM Al2O3）-supported cobalt oxide and platinum nanocatalysts（xPt/yCo3O4/3DOM Al2O3,Pt mass fraction（x%）= 0-1.4%,Co3O4 mass fraction（y%） = 0-9.2%） were prepared using poly（methyl methacrylate） templating,incipient wetness impregnation and polyvinyl alcohol-protected reduction.The resulting xPt/yCo3O4/3DOM Al2O3 samples displayed a high-quality 3DOM architecture with macropores（180-200 nm in diameter） and mesopores（4-6 nm in diameter） together with surface areas in the range of 94 to 102m^2/g.Using these techniques,Co3O4 nanoparticles（NPs,18.3 nm） were loaded on the 3DOM Al2O3 surface,after which Pt NPs（2.3-2.5 nm） were uniformly dispersed on theyCo3O4/3DOM Al2O3.The1.3Pt/8.9Co3O4/3DOM Al2O3 exhibited the best performance for toluene oxidation,with a T（90%） value（the temperature required to achieve 90%toluene conversion） of 160 ℃ at a space velocity of20000 mL g^（-1） h^（-1）.It is concluded that the excellent catalytic performance of the 1.3Pt/8.9Co3O4/3DOM Al2O3 is owing to well-dispersed Pt NPs,the high concentration of adsorbed oxygen species,good low-temperature reducibility,and strong interaction between the Pt and Co3O4 NPs,as well as the unique bimodal porous structure of the support.

Effect of Excited-state Substituent Constant on the UV Spectra of 1,4-disubstituted Benzenes

A correlation equation between the UV absorption wavenumbers of 1,4-disubstituted benzenes and the excited-state substituent constant was obtained. For 80 sorts of 1,4- disubstituted benzenes, the correlation coefficient was 0.9805, and the standard deviation was only 672.27 cm^-1. The results imply that the excited-state substituent constant can be used productively for research on UV energy of 1,4-disubstituted benzenes. The present method provides a new avenue to study the UV absorption spectra of aromatic systems with the excited-state substituent constant, and it is helpful to understand the effect of substituent electrostatic effects on the chemical and physical properties of conjugated compounds with multiple substituents in excited state.

Photoionization Mass Spectrometric and Kinetic Modeling of Low-pressure Pyrolysis of Benzene

Pyrolysis of benzene at 30 Torr was studied from 1360 K to 1820 K in this work. Synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometry was employed to detect the pyroly- sis products such as radicals, isomers and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and measure their mole fraction profiles versus temperature. A low-pressure pyrolysis model of benzene was developed and validated by the experimental results. Rate of production analysis was performed to reveal the major reaction networks in both fuel decomposition and aromatic growth processes. It is concluded that benzene is mainly decomposed via H-abstraction reaction to produce phenyl and partly decomposed via unimolecular decomposition reac- tions to produce propargyl or phenyl. The decomposition process stops at the formation of acetylene and polyyne species like diacetylene and 1,3,5-hexatriyne due to their high thermal stabilities. Besides, the aromatic growth process in the low-pressure pyrolysis of benzene is concluded to initiate from benzene and phenyl, and is controlled by the even carbon growth mechanism due to the inhibited formation of C5 and C7 species which play important roles in the odd carbon growth mechanism.

Mass Spectrometry Study of OH-initiated Photooxidation of Toluene

The composition of products formed from photooxidation of the aromatic hydrocarbon toluene was investigated. The OH-initiated photooxidation experiments were conducted by irradiating toluene/CH3ONO/NO/air mixtures in a smog chamber, the gaseous products were detected under the supersonic beam conditions by utilizing vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrometer using synchrotron radiation in real-time. And an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer was used to provide on-line measurements of the individual secondary organic aerosol particle resulting from irradiating toluene. The experimental results demonstrated that there were some differences between the gaseous products and that of particle-phase, the products of glyoxal, 2-hydroxyl-3-oxo-butanal, nitrotoluene, and methyl-nitrophenol only existed in the particle-phase. However, furane, methylglyoxal, 2-methylfurane, benzaldehyde, cresol, and benzoic acid were the predominant photooxidation products in both the gas phase and particle phase.

Study on ternary polymerization of toluene diisocyanate

For the production of reactive polyurethane cross-linkinger and curing agents, 2, 4-diisocyanate toluene （TDI） terpolymer, which possesses the rigid structures of hexatomic ring and three reactive functional groups, was synthesized and characterized by the Fourier transform infrared （FFIR）, the gel permeation chromatography （GPC） and the chemical analysis methods. The reaction conditions were studied and optimized. A tracking research on the polymerization process of TDI was taken by using the GPC. The formation processes of the terpolymer, oligomers and higher-polymers were also dealt with. Results show that the TDI terpolymer can be prepared in the presence of Cat-3 catalyst and at the reaction temperature of （60 ±2）℃. The reaction time is short, its outcomes have narrow molecular weights distribution, namely molecular weights from 530 to 550, Mw/Mn =1.10, and the mass fraction of NCO is （25. 0 ± 0. 5）%. With the reaction time prolonging, however, TDI can be further higher-polymedzed to form higher-polymers. Benzoyl chloride （0. 4%, mass fraction）, as the stabilizing agent, can effectively inhibit the occurrence of higher-polymerization. The obtained TDI terpolymer can be stable for more than half a year.

Study on the Effectiveness of Circulation Well for Remediation of Benzene and Toluene Contaminated Silt Sand Aquifer

In order to investigate the remediation effect of groundwater circulation well on benzene and toluene contaminated silt sand aquifer,a simulation remediation experiment was conducted in the laboratory using a two-dimensional simulation tank.The results showed that in the silt sand aquifer,the concentrations of benzene and toluene decreased from 179.210 mg/L and 327.520 mg/L to below the detection limit after 24 h of operation of the circulation well.The closer to the circulation well in the horizontal direction,the faster the removal efficiency of benzene and toluene.The study has shown that circulating wells have good remediation effects on both benzene-and toluene-contaminated chalk sand aquifers.