Reduction of VOC emissions by a membrane-based gas absorption process

A membrane-based gas absorption （MGA） process was evaluated for the removal of volatile organic compounds （VOCs） based on C6H6/N2 mixture. The absorption of C6H6 from a C6H6/N2 mixture was investigated using a hydrophobic polypropylene hollow fiber membrane contactor and the aqueous solution of N-formyl morpholine （NFM） as absorbent. The effects of various factors on the overall mass transfer coefficient was investigated. The experimental results showed that the removal efficiency of C6H6 could reach 99.5% in present studied system. A mathematical model based on resistance-in-series concept was presented to predict the value of overall mass transfer coefficient. The average error between the predicted and experimental values is 7.9%. In addition, conventional packed columns for VOCs removal was also evaluated for comparison.

Thermodynamic performance assessment of vacuum membrane-based dehumidification and air carrying energy radiant air-conditioning system(VMD-ACERS)

Temperature and humidity independent control(THIC)air-conditioning system is a promising technology.In this work,a novel temperature and humidity independent control(THIC)system is proposed,namely VMD-ACERS,which integrates vacuum membrane-based dehumidification and air carrying energy radiant air-conditioning system.This work establishes a novel coefficient of performance(COP)model of VMD-ACERS.The main parameters affecting the COP of conventional fan coil unit cooling system(FCUCS)and VMD-ACERS are investigated.The performance of FCUCS and VMD-ACERS are compared,and the energy-saving potential of VMD-ACERS is proved.Results indicate that,for FCUCS,the importance ranking of parameters is basically stable.However,for VMD-ACERS,the importance ranking will be affected by FCU and refrigerant.The most important parameters of VMD-ACERS are condensation temperature and permeate side pressure.On the contrary,superheating,subcooling are relatively less important parameters.For VMD-ACERS,it is not necessary to pursue the membrane with very high selectivity,because the selectivity of membrane would also be a less important parameter when it reaches 500.The COP of VMD-ACERS is higher than that of FCUCS when the permeate side pressure is higher than 8 k Pa.The VMD-ACERS solves two technical problems about power-saving and thermal comfort of conventional THIC,and can extend the application of THIC air-conditioning system.

Simulation and Experiment for Oxygen-enriched Combustion Engine Using Liquid Oxygen to Solidify CO2

For capturing and recycling of CO2 in the internal combustion engine, Rankle cycle engine can reduce the exhaust pollutants effectively under the condition of ensuring the engine thermal efficiency by using the techniques of spraying water in the cylinder and optimizing the ignition advance angle. However, due to the water spray nozzle need to be installed on the cylinder, which increases the cylinder head design difficulty and makes the combustion conditions become more complicated. In this paper, a new method is presented to carry out the closing inlet and exhaust system for internal combustion engines. The proposed new method uses liquid oxygen to solidify part of cooled CO2 from exhaust system into dry ice and the liquid oxygen turns into gas oxygen which is sent to inlet system. The other part of CO2 is sent to inlet system and mixed with oxygen, which can reduce the oxygen-enriched combustion detonation tendency and make combustion stable. Computing grid of the IP52FMI single-cylinder four-stroke gasoline-engine is established according to the actual shape of the combustion chamber using KIVA-3V program. The effects of exhaust gas recirculation （EGR） rate are analyzed on the temperatures, the pressures and the instantaneous heat release rates when the EGR rate is more than 8%. The possibility of enclosing intake and exhaust system for engine is verified. The carbon dioxide trapping device is designed and the IP52FMI engine is transformed and the CO2 capture experiment is carried out. The experimental results show that when the EGR rate is 36% for the optimum EGR rate. When the liquid oxygen of 35.80-437.40 g is imported into the device and last 1-20 min, respectively, 21.50-701.30 g dry ice is obtained. This research proposes a new design method which can capture CO2 for vehicular internal combustion engine.

Relationship between copper content of slag and matte in the SKS copper smelting process

In the newly developed oxygen-enriched bottom-blowing copper smelting process(also known as the SKS copper smelting process), Cu loss in slag is one of the most concerning issues. This paper presents our research results concerning the relationship between the Cu content of the matte and slag in the SKS process; the results are based on actual industrial production in the Dongying Fangyuan copper smelter. The results show that the matte grade strongly influences Cu losses in slag. The dissolved and entrained losses account for 10%–20% and 80%–90% of the total SKS industrial Cu losses in slag, respectively. With increasing matte grade, the dissolved and entrained Cu losses in the SKS slag both increase continuously. When the matte grade is greater than 68%, the content of Cu in the smelting slag increases much more dramatically. To obtain a high direct recovery of copper, the matte grade should be less than 75% in industrial SKS copper production.

Recent advances on the membrane processes for CO_2 separation

Membrane separation technology has popularized rapidly and attracts much interest in gas industry as a promising sort of newly chemical separation unit operation. In this paper, recent advances on membrane processes for CO_2 separation are reviewed. The researches indicate that the optimization of operating process designs could improve the separation performance, reduce the energy consumption and decrease the cost of membrane separation systems. With the improvement of membrane materials recently,membrane processes are beginning to be competitive enough for CO_2 separation, especially for postcombustion CO_2 capture, biogas upgrading and natural gas carbon dioxide removal, compared with the traditional separation methods. We summarize the needs and most promising research directions for membrane processes for CO_2 separation in current and future membrane applications. As the time goes by, novel membrane materials developed according to the requirement proposed by process optimization with increased selectivity and/or permeance will accelerate the industrialization of membrane process in the near future. Based on the data collected in a pilot scale test, more effort could be made on the optimization of membrane separation processes. This work would open up a new horizon for CO_2 separation/Capture on Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage(CCUS).

Experimental research on the instability propagation characteristics of liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave

In order to study the instability propagation characteristics of the liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave(RDW),a series of experimental tests were carried out on the rotating detonation combustor(RDC)with air-heater.The fuel and oxidizer are room-temperature liquid kerosene and preheated oxygenenriched air,respectively.The experimental tests keep the equivalence ratio of 0.81 and the oxygen mass fraction of 35%unchanged,and the total mass flow rate is maintained at about 1000 g/s,changing the total temperature of the oxygen-enriched air from 620 K to 860 K.Three different types of instability were observed in the experiments:temporal and spatial instability,mode transition and re-initiation.The interaction between RDW and supply plenum may be the main reason for the fluctuations of detonation wave velocity and pressure peaks with time.Moreover,the inconsistent mixing of fuel and oxidizer at different circumferential positions is related to RDW oscillate spatially.The phenomenon of single-double-single wave transition is analyzed.During the transition,the initial RDW weakens until disappears,and the compression wave strengthens until it becomes a new RDWand propagates steadily.The increased deflagration between the detonation products and the fresh gas layer caused by excessively high temperature is one of the reasons for the RDC quenching and re-initiation.

Preparation of hydrophobic flat sheet membranes from PVDF-HFP copolymer for enhancing the oxygen permeance in nitrogen/oxygen gas mixture

In this study, poly(vinilydene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)(PVDF-HFP) was used for preparation of hydrophobic membranes using non-solvent induced phase inversion(NIPS) technique. PVDF-HFP copolymer with concentrations of 10 wt% and 12 wt% was prepared to investigate the effect of polymer concentration on pore structure,morphology, hydrophobicity and performance of prepared membranes. Besides, the use of two coagulation baths with the effects of parameters such as coagulant time, polymer type and concentration, and the amount of nonsolvent were studied. The performance of prepared membranes was evaluated based on the permeability and selectivity of oxygen and nitrogen from a gas mixture of nitrogen/oxygen under operating conditions of feed flow rate(1–5 L·min-1), inlet pressure to membrane module(0.1–0.5 MPa) and temperatures between 25 and 45 °C. The results showed that the use of two coagulation baths with different compositions of distillated water and isopropanol,coagulant time, polymer type and concentration, and the amount of non-solvent additive have the most effect on pore structure, morphology, thickness, roughness and crystallinity of fabricated membranes. Porosity ranges for the three fabricated membranes were determined, where the maximum porosity was 73.889% and the minimum value was 56.837%. Also, the maximum and minimum average thicknesses of membrane were 320.85 μm and115 μm. Besides, the values of 4.7504 × 10-7 mol· m-2· s-1· Pa-1, 0.525 and 902.126 nm were achieved for maximum oxygen permeance, O2/N2 selectivity and roughness, respectively.

Practice of improving the hot blast temperature for the 2500 m^3 BF

A high blast temperature is an effective measure that improves pulverized coal injection （PCI）and energy consumption,decreases the cost of blast furnaces （BF）. Apart from using technology such as the increased vault temperature of the hot-blast stove, the increased temperature of the waste gas, the preheating of combustion air and gas, and fully closed mixed air valves, other measures, such as using an oxygen-enriched blast stove, burning high heating value converter gas, increasing the number of stove changes to reduce the time needed for stove blasts, were taken to increase the blast temperature of the 2 500 m3 BF in recent years. The blast temperature of the 2 500 m3 BF was continuously increased in these years. The monthly average temperature of the 2 500 m3 BF reached 1 158℃, with the highest blast temperature reaching 1 195 ℃ in 2006. This technique of increased blast temperatures has reached an advanced level in China.

Numerical Simulation of Emission Characteristics for Single-Cylinder Diesel Engine

First, the geometry model and the calculation mesh of single-cylinder direct injection diesel engine are built, using ESE module of the 3D simulation software AVL FIRE v2014 [1]. Then, by setting appropriate boundary condition, initial condition and calculating step length, and selecting spray, the burning emissions on model and on the basis of adjusting the parameters, a scientific and reasonable simulation platform is built. Emission characteristics of single-cylinder diesel engines in oxygen-enriched, oxygen-enriched + EGR (inlet adding CO2), and separately using EGR would be studied. It is concluded that EGR synergy oxygen-enriched combustion is beneficial to exhaust treatment and 21% CO2 + 23% oxygen content is the optimal matching to improve diesel engine exhaust emissions.

Activity and characteristics of ＂Oxygen-enriched＂ highly reactive absorbent for simultaneous flue gas desulfurization and denitrification

An ＂Oxygen-enriched＂ highly reactive absor- bent was prepared by mixing fly ash, lime and a small quantity of KMnO4 for simultaneous desulfiarization and denitrification. Removal of SO2 and NO simultaneously was carried out using this absorbent in a flue gas circulating fluidized bed （CFB）. The highest simultaneous removal efficiency, 94.5% of SO2 and 64.2% of NO, was achieved under the optimal experiment conditions. Scanning Electron Microscope （SEM） and Accessory X-ray Energy Spectrometer （EDX） were used to observe the surface characteristics of fly ash, lime, ＂Oxygen-enriched＂ highly reactive absorbent and the spent absorbent. An ion chromatograph （IC） and chemical analysis methods were used to determine the contents of sulfate, sulfite, nitrate and nitrite in the spent absorbents, the results showed that sulfate and nitrite were the main products for desulfurization and denitrification respectively. The mechanism of removing SO2 and NO simultaneously was proposed based on the analysis results of SEM, EDX, IC and the chemical analysis methods.

From plasma to plasmonics:toward sustainable and clean water production through membranes

The increasing demand for potable water is never-ending.Freshwater resources are scarce and stress is accumulating on other alternatives.Therefore,new technologies and novel optimization methods are developed for the existing processes.Membrane-based processes are among the most efficient methods for water treatment.Yet,membranes suffer from severe operational problems,namely fouling and temperature polarization.These effects can harm the membrane’s permeability,permeate recovery,and lifetime.To mitigate such effects,membranes can be treated through two techniques:plasma treatment(a surface modification technique),and treatment through the use of plasmonic materials(surface and bulk modification).This article showcases plasma-and plasmonic-based treatments in the context of water desalination/purification.It aims to offer a comprehensive review of the current developments in membrane-based water treatment technologies along with suggested directions to enhance its overall efficiency through careful selection of material and system design.Moreover,basic guidelines and strategies are outlined on the different membrane modification techniques to evaluate its prerequisites.Besides,we discuss the challenges and future developments about these membrane modification methods.

Cell-mediated and cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for drug delivery and cancer therapy

Nanotechnology-based drug delivery platforms have been developed over the last two decades because of their favorable features in terms of improved drug bioavailability and stability.Despite recent advancement in nanotechnology platforms,this approach still falls short to meet the complexity of biological systems and diseases,such as avoiding systemic side effects,manipulating biological interactions and overcoming drug resistance,which hinders the therapeutic outcomes of the NP-based drug delivery systems.To address these issues,various strategies have been developed including the use of engineered cells and/or cell membrane-coated nanocarriers.Cell membrane receptor profiles and characteristics are vital in performing therapeutic functions,targeting,and homing of either engineered cells or cell membrane-coated nanocarriers to the sites of interest.In this context,we comprehensively discuss various cell-and cell membrane-based drug delivery approaches towards cancer therapy,the therapeutic potential of these strategies,and the limitations associated with engineered cells as drug carriers and cell membrane-associated drug nanocarriers.Finally,we review various cell types and cell membrane receptors for their potential in targeting,immunomodulation and overcoming drug resistance in cancer.