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.

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.

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.

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.

Y Zeolites Modified by Organosilane for Toluene Adsorption under High Humidity Condition

Y zeolites have moderate microporous pore size, large specific surface area, and good hydrothermal stability, which were widely used in industrial adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), but the performance of Y zeolites in adsorption of VOCs under high humidity conditions is terrible. In this paper, Y zeolites with different silica-alumina ratios were hydrophobically modified by organosilane and characterized by XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET, NMR. In the experiments of static and dynamic adsorption of VOCs by modified Y zeolites, it can be concluded that the static water adsorption capacity of Y zeolites with silica-aluminum ratio of 5 and 40 after silica modification decreased by 62 wt% and 53 wt%, under the conditions of high humidity, GHSV = 15,000 h-1, T = 35°C and initial concentration of toluene C0 = 5000 mg·m-3. The saturation adsorption capacity of toluene was increased from 0.06 g·g-1, 0.09 g·g-1 to 0.15 g·g-1, 0.21 g·g-1, the adsorption selectivity of Y zeolites for water was reduced and that for toluene was increased after Vapor phase silanization overlay modification. The present modification method might carry out targeted modification of zeolites surface, provide research ideas and guidance under high humidity conditions.

Catalytic Elimination of Oxygenated Byproducts in the Toluene Methylation Process

Catalytic methylation of toluene with methanol is an important alternative pathway for xylene production.Previous studies have indicated that methanol always undergoes several side reactions on acidic zeolites,resulting in oxygencontaining byproducts such as dimethyl ethers,ketones,and carboxylic acids.Herein,the presence and distribution of the oxygenated compounds formed during toluene methylation were firstly examined by systematic chromatographic analysis.Plausible formation mechanisms for the various oxygenates are discussed.The most problematic byproduct is found to be acetic acid,which can lead to inferior product quality and damage downstream units.A feasible solution is presented for oxygenate removal after toluene methylation,in which acetic acid is eliminated by catalytic decomposition into low-boilingpoint acetone over a MgO catalyst.This process allows for all of the low-boiling-point oxygenates,including methanol,dimethyl ether,acetone,and butanone,to be removed from the aromatics phase,taking advantage of the temperature of the reaction effluent and standard distillation equipment.X-ray diffraction was used to characterize the crystal phase of the fresh and used MgO decarbonylation catalysts,while thermogravimetry/mass spectrometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were applied to investigate the transformation mechanism of acetic acid over the decarbonylation catalyst.CO insertion and ketonization of acetic acid accounted for the formation and elimination of acetic acid,respectively.The combined methylation/decarbonylation process should enable the production of high-quality xylenes,an important industrial feedstock,by overcoming the main technical obstacles associated with the toluene methylation process.

Rational Design of LDH/Zn_(2)SnO_(4) Heterostructures for Efficient Mineralization of Toluene Through Boosted Interfacial Charge Separation

It is crucial to efficiently separate and transport photo-induced charge carriers for the effective implementation of photocatalysis toward environmental remediation.A rational design strategy is proposed to validate such proposition through the construction of an interfacial structure in the form of LDH/Zn_(2)SnO_(4) heterostructures in this research.The interfacial charge transfer on LDH/Zn_(2)SnO_(4) is greatly promoted via the unique charge transfer pathway,as characterized by transient photocurrent responses,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum,and photoluminescence analysis.As such,it contributes to the generation of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and the activation of reactants for the mineralization of toluene.According to the in situ DRIFTS spectra analysis,the accumulation of benzoic acid takes place possibly through the partial oxidation of the methyl group on toluene at the interface of the LDH/Zn 2 SnO 4 heterostructure.This process can greatly promote the photocatalytic oxidation of toluene with the enhanced ring-opening efficiency.The LDH/Zn 2 SnO 4 is thus demonstrated as superior photocatalyst against toluene(removal efficiency of 89.5%;mineralization of 83.1%;and quantum efficiency of 4.55×10^(−6) molecules/photon).As such,the performance of this composite far exceeds that of their individual components(e.g.,P25,pure Mg-Al LDH,or Zn_(2)SnO_(4)).This study is expected to offer a new path to the interfacial charge transfer mechanism based on the design of highly efficient photocatalysts for air purification.

Enabling tandem oxidation of benzene to benzenediol over integrated neighboring V-Cu oxides in mesoporous silica

The direct tandem oxidation synthesis of benzenediol from benzene could simplify or even avoid the separation and purification of reaction intermediates, which is promising but challenged because of the further required immediate consecutive activation of intermediate phenol. In this work, a synergistic benzene tandem-oxidation catalyst that V-Cu bimetallic oxides modified nanoporous silica(VCu-NS)was constructed via a facile assembly strategy which involves addictive negative anion citric acid mediating the intercalation of metal-citric acid chelate in mesopore of silica and subsequent thermal calcination inducing dual-metal active site formation. Such a tactic could make amorphous VOxspecies well covered on the surface of mesopore, and ultrafine copper oxide particles surrounded and neighbored by highly dispersed VOxwith strong interplay in mesopore, which was comprehensively confirmed by various characterizations. Benefiting from the unique V-Cu neighboring effect, the desorption of formed phenol over the catalytic site might be restricted therefore easily further activated by the formed reactive oxidative species, 3VCu-NS shows synergetic tandem-oxidation catalytic activities for benzene towards benzenediol with a selectivity of 57%. The result allows optimal 3VCu-NS to be a promising catalyst for benzenediol synthesis from benzene.

Understanding the interfacial behaviors of benzene alkylation with butene using chloroaluminate ionic liquid catalyst: A molecular dynamics simulation

To better understand the benzene alkylation with chloroaluminate ionic liquids(ILs) as catalyst, the interfacial properties between the benzene/butene binary reactants and chloroaluminate ILs with varying cation alkyl chain length and different anions were investigated using molecular dynamics(MD) simulations. The results indicate that ILs can obviously improve the interfacial width, solubility and diffusion of reactants compared to H_(2)SO_(4). The longer alkyl chains of cations present a density enrichment at the interface and protrude into the binary reactants phase. Furthermore, the ILs consisting of 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium cations([Omim]^(+)) and the stronger acidity heptachlorodialuminate anions([Al_(2)Cl_(7)]^(-)) are more beneficial to promote the interfacial width and facilitate the dissolution and diffusion of benzene in both the IL bulk and the interfacial region in comparison to the ones with shorter alkyl chains cations and weaker acidity anions. The information gives us a better guideline for the design of ILs for benzene alkylation.

Optimizing support acidity of NiMo catalysts for increasing the yield of benzene, toluene and xylene in tetralin hydrocracking

To enhance the yields of benzene,toluene,and xylene in tetralin hydrocracking,the effect of the support acid properties of NiMo catalysts on hydrocracking performance of tetralin were investigated in this study.NaY zeolites were modified by hydrothermal treatment to form USY zeolites at different temperatures and adjust the type and amount of acid.In addition,H-Beta was loaded into the USY to further adjust the acidic properties of the catalysts.The result shows that when the total B acid content of the catalyst is maintained between 150 and 200μmol·g^(-1),the total acid amount is maintained between 1.7 and 1.9 mmol·g^(-1),and the L/B(L and B acids)ratio is maintained between 1.5 and 2,the catalysts have favorable performances on tetralin hydrocracking.Under this condition,the catalysts have a yield of benzene,toluene,and xylene higher than 30 wt%and a selectivity for benzene,toluene,and xylene higher than 35%.The tetralin conversion is greater than 85 wt%.The AB6 catalyst obtains the best hydrocracking effect with the conversion of tetralin reaching 90.24 wt%,the yields of benzene,toluene,and xylene reaching 33.58 wt%,and the selectivity of benzene,toluene,and xylene reaching 37.21%,respectively.

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.