Fabrication of ultrafine Pd nanoparticles on 3D ordered macroporous TiO_2 for enhanced catalytic activity during diesel soot combustion

Nanocatalysts consisting of three‐dimensionally ordered macroporous(3DOM)TiO2‐supported ultrafine Pd nanoparticles(Pd/3DOM‐TiO2‐GBMR)were readily fabricated by gas bubbling‐assisted membrane reduction(GBMR)method.These catalysts had a well‐defined and highly ordered macroporous nanostructure with an average pore size of 280 nm.In addition,ultrafine hemispherical Pd nanoparticles(NPs)with a mean particle size of 1.1 nm were found to be well dispersed over the surface of the 3DOM‐TiO2 support and deposited on the inner walls of the material.The nanostructure of the 3DOM‐TiO2 support ensured efficient contact between soot particles and the catalyst.The large interface area between the ultrafine Pd NPs and the TiO2 also increased the density of sites for O2 activation as a result of the strong metal(Pd)‐support(TiO2)interaction(SMSI).A Pd/3DOM‐TiO2‐GBMR catalyst with ultrafine Pd NPs(1.1 nm)exhibited higher catalytic activity during diesel soot combustion compared with that obtained from a specimen having relatively large Pd NPs(5.0 nm).The T10,T50 and T90 values obtained from the former were 295,370 and 415°C.Both the activity and nanostructure of the Pd/3DOM‐TiO2‐GBMR catalyst were stable over five replicate soot oxidation trials.These results suggest that nanocatalysts having a 3DOM structure together with ultrafine Pd NPs can decrease the amount of Pd required,and that this approach has potential practical applications in the catalytic combustion of diesel soot particles.

Thermo economic evaluation of oxy fuel combustion cycle in Kazeroon power plant considering enhanced oil recovery revenues

Oxy fuel combustion and conventional cycle(currently working cycle) in Kazeroon plant are modeled using commercial thermodynamic modeling software. Economic evaluation of the two models regarding the resources of transport and injection of carbon dioxide into oil fields at Gachsaran for enhanced oil recovery in the various oil price indices is conducted and indices net present value(NPV) and internal rate of return on investment(IRR) are calculated. The results of the two models reveal that gross efficiency of the oxy fuel cycle is more than reference cycle(62% compared to 49.03%), but the net efficiency is less(41.85% compared to 47.92%) because of the high-energy consumption of the components, particularly air separation unit(ASU) in the oxy fuel cycle. In this model, pure carbon dioxide with pressure of 20×105 Pa and purity of 96.84% was captured. NOX emissions also decrease by 4289.7 tons per year due to separation of nitrogen in ASU. In this model, none of the components of oxy fuel cycle is a major engineering challenge. With increasing oil price, economic justification of oxy fuel combustion model increases. With the price of oil at $ 80 per barrel in mind and $ 31 per ton fines for emissions of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, IRR is the same for both models.

Determination of the antioxidant activity based on the content changes in fatty acid methyl esters in vegetable oils

Free radicals, which are generated in several biochemical reactions in the body, have been implicated as mediators of many diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis and heart diseases. Although the endogenous antioxidants can scavenge these free radicals, they are often insufficient to maintain the in vivo redox balance. The antioxidant activity(AOA) was examined by addition of each tested antioxidants [alpha-tocopherol(α-T), beta-tocopherol(β-T), gamma-tocopherol(γ-T), delta-tocopherol(δ-T), butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA), 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol(BHT), and ascorbyle palmitate(AP)] to four types of different vegetable oils(sunflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil and olive oil). Moreover, content changes in fatty acids were then investigated every 3 months during the storage period. The results showed that the AOA was different among the tested antioxidants. The AOA for BHA was the most for different types of oil compared with other antioxidants, whereas the δ-T possessed the lowest AOA.