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.

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.

Phase behavior of TXs/toluene/water microemulsion systems for solubilization absorption of toluene

Triton Xs （TXs） surfactants/cosurfactant/water/oil （toluene） microemulsion systems for enhancing toluene solubilization were proposed and its potential was investigated for toluene removal from gas stream. The results indicated that TX-100 was superior to other TXs surfactants in removing toluene without cosurfactant. The efficiency of cosurfactants for improving toluene solubilization capacity follows the order： amine 〉 alcohol 〉 acid. According to the factor analysis, the linear cosurfactants are better than the branched ones. The effects of hydrophile-lipophile balance （HLB）, salt （NaCl） concentration and temperature on the formation of microemulsion system were also discussed. The results suggested that the optimum value of HLB was 15, the effect of NaCl concentration on the system was inconspicuous and the lower temperature enhanced the solubilization capacity. Nonionic surfactant-based microemulsions had a significant absorption enhancement for toluene, indicated by as much as 82.72% of toluene in phase composition diagram, which will have a great prospect in air pollution treatment.

Effects of seed aerosols on the growth of secondary organic aerosols from the photooxidation of toluene

Hydroxyl radical （.OH）-initiated photooxidation reaction of toluene was carried out in a self-made smog chamber. Four individual seed aerosols such as ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sodium silicate and calcium chloride, were introduced into the chamber to assess their influence on the growth of secondary organic aerosols （SOA）. It was found that the low concentration of seed aerosols might lead to high concentration of SOA particles. Seed aerosols would promote rates of SOA formation at the start of the reaction and inhibit its formation rate with prolonging the reaction time. In the case of ca. 9000 pt/cm^3 seed aerosol load, the addition of sodium silicate induced a same effect on the SOA formation as ammonium nitrate. The influence of the four individual seed aerosols on the generation of SOA decreased in the order of calcium chloride〉sodium silicate and ammonium nitrate〉ammonium sulfate.

Size distribution of the secondary organic aerosol particles from the photooxidation of toluene

In a smog chamber, the photooxidation of toluene was initiated by hydroxyl radical （OH.） under different experimental conditions. The size distribution of secondary organic aerosol（SOA） particles from the above reaction was measured using aerodynamic particle sizer spectrometer. It was found from our experimental results that the number of SOA particles increased with increasing the concentration of toluene. As the reaction time prolonged, the sum of SOA particles was also increased. After a reaction time of 130 min, the concentration of secondary organic aerosol particles would be kept constant at 2300 particles/cm^3. Increasing illumination power of blacklamps could significantly induce a higher concentration of secondary organic aerosol particle. The density of SOA particles would also be increased with increasing concentration of CH30NO, however, it would be decreased as soon as the concentration of CH30NO was larger than 225.2 ppm. Nitrogen oxide with initial concentration higher than 30. 1 ppm was also found to have little effect on the formation of secondary organic aerosol.

Effect of ZSM-5 zeolite morphology on the catalytic performance of the alkylation of toluene with methanol

A series of ZSM-5 zeolites, with the morphologies of sphere, sphere with cubic particles on the surface, and cubic particles, were synthesized by hydrothermal method using n-butylamine as the template, assisted by the addition of NaC1 and crystal seed. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray fluorescence （XRF） and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia （NH3-TPD） were used to characterize these samples. The samples were tested with toluene methylation reaction. The modified sample composed of spherical particles with 3 μm crystal particles on the surface had a para-xylene selectivity of 95% and maintained 79% of the initial conversion after running the reaction for 50 h. This modified samole showed the best stability amonz the tested three modified samoles.

Toluene removal characteristics by a superimposed wire-plate dielectric barrier discharge plasma reactor

A superimposed wire-plate dielectric barrier discharge reactor was used to remove toluene in this study. The effects of oxygen content, gas flow rate, gas initial concentration and with/without catalyst on toluene decomposition were investigated. It was found that an optimal toluene removal was achieved when the oxygen content was about 5%. Under this condition, the highest toluene removal efficiency of 80.8% was achieved when the gas concentration was 80 mg/m^3. The toluene removal efficiency decreased with the increase of the gas flow rate and the initial concentration of toluene. In addition, the ozone concentration decreased with the increase of the initial concentration of toluene. It suggested that combining DBD （dielectric barrier discharge） with Co3O4/Al2O3/foam nickel catalyst in-situ could improve the toluene removal efficiency and suppress ozone formation. Products analysis showed that the main products were CO and CO2 when oxygen was more than 5%.

Toluene Alkylation with Methanol to p-Xylene over Heteropoly Acids Supported by Clay

The alkylation of toluene with methanol for the selective formation of p-xylene was systematically studied. Very few studies have been reported on the use of superacids such as heteropolyacids on cheap supports, such as clay. This article deals with the use of different heteropoly acids （HPAs）, viz, Dodeca-Tungstophosphoric acid [H3PO4.12WO3.xH2O] （TPA）, Dodeca-Molyhdo phosphoric acid ammonium salt hydrate [H12Mo12N3O40P＋aq] （DMAA）, Dodeca-Molyhdo Phosphoric acid （PMA） on clay （MontmoriUonite, K-10） and as such plain clay. This comparative study reveals that 20%PMA/Clay shows 62% toluene conversion and 100% selectivity toward p-xylene.

Toluene Alkylation to Selective Formation of p-Xylene over Co-Crystalline ZSM-12/ZSM-5 Catalyst

The alkylation of toluene with methanol to selective formation of p-xylene has been systematically studied. ZSM-12 （MTW）/ZSM-5 co-crystalline zeolite in 40：60 proportions have been synthesized by the same molar gel composition, but at different temperatures and periods than that of ZSM-12 and ZSM-5, separately. All the prepared samples are characterized by XRD, SEM, BET, and XRF. The activity of toluene alkylation was investigated with a mixture of toluene and methanol as a feed over the ZSM-12, ZSM-12/ZSM-5 co-crystalline, ZSM-5, and physical mixture of ZSM-12/ZSM-5. From characterization, it is observed that the ZSM-12/ZSM-5 co-crystalline material is different from that of ZSM-12, ZSM-5, and their physical mixture. Further, the ZSM-12/ZSM-5 co-crystalline zeolite produces the highest content of xylene and has better selectivity for p-xylene than ZSM-12, ZSM-5, and their physical mixture.

Synthesis of Pharmaceutical Intermediates by Toluene Benzylation over Heteropoly Acids on Different Support

Selective formation of pharmaceutical intermediates like diphenylmethane, dimethyldiphenylmethane, benzyl toluene and benzoic acid by liquid phase, toluene benzylation with benzyl chloride as a benzylating agent, was systematically studied over plane clay （K-10, montmorillonite）, plane H-Beta, plane MFI structured titanosilicate （TS-1） and heteropoly acids [HPA, namely dodecatungstophosphoric acid [H3PO4.12WOa-xH2O] （TPA）, dodeca-molybdo phosphoric acid ammonium salt hydrate [H12Mo12N3040P＋aq] （DMAA）, sodium tungstate hydrated purified [Na12WO4.2H2O] （STH）] supported on clay, H-beta and TS-1. The 20%TPA/Clay, 30%TPA/H-Beta and 30%TPA/TS-1, were observed to be the best catalyst samples over plane clay, plane H-Beta and plane TS-1. The catalyst samples are compared with respect to benzyl chloride conversion and selectivities for diphenylmethane, dimethyl-diphenylmethane, benzyl toluene and benzoic acid. The reaction follows the pseudo-first order rate power law model. The apparent rate constants are calculated and compared with the reported ones.

Decomposition characteristics of toluene by a corona radical shower system

Non-thermal plasma technologies offer an innovative approach to decomposing various volatile organic compounds(VOCs). The decomposition of toluene from simulated flue gas was investigated using a pipe electrode with nozzles for the generation of free radicals. Corona characteristics and decomposition of toluene were investigated experimentally. In addition, the decomposition mechanism of toluene was explored in view of reaction rate. The experimental results showed that the humidity of additional gas has an important effect on corona characteristics and modes and stable streamer corona can be generated through optimizing flow rate and humidity of additional gas. Applied voltage, concentration of toluene, humidity of toluene and resident time are some important factors affecting decomposition efficiency. Under optimizing conditions, the decomposition efficiency of toluene can reach 80%. These results can give a conclusion that the corona radical shower technology is feasible and effective on the removal of toluene in the flue gas.

Detection of hydroxyl radical in plasma reaction on toluene removal

A new method was introduced to detect the concentration of OH radical in dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)reaction.A film, which was impregnated with salicylic acid,was used to detect OH radical in plasma reaction at room temperature and atmospheric pressure.Salicylic acid reacts with OH radical and produces 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid(2,5-DHBA).Then,a high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)was carried out to detect the concentration of 2,5-DHBA.Therefore,OH radical in nonthermal plasma reaction could be...

Catalytic combustion of toluene over Pd-based monolithic catalysts with a novel washcoat Ce_(0.8)Zr_(0.15)La_(0.05)O_δ

Two novel washcoats Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ and Ce0.8Zr0.2O2 was prepared by an impregnation method, which acted as a host for the active Pd component to prepare Pd/Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ/substrate and Pd/Ce0.8Zr0.2O2/substrate monolithic catalysts for toluene combustion. The washcoats was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Brunauner-Emmett-Teller (BET), and H2-temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR). The result indicated that both the washcoats had strong vibration-shock resistance according to ultrasonic test. Doping La3+ into CeO2-ZrO2 solid solution could generate more oxygen vacancies, and could inhibit the sinter of CeO2-ZrO2 solid solution when calcined at high temperatures (800, 900 and 1000 °C). The washcoat Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ had much better redox properties. The reductive temperature of Ce4+ species shifted to low temperature by 60 °C when the washcoats calcined at high temperatures (800, 900 and 1000 °C). The Pd/Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ/substrate monolithic catalyst calcination at 500 °C had the best catalytic activity and the 95% toluene conversion at a temperature as low as 190 °C. When calcined at low temperature (500 and 700 °C), the catalytic activity has little improvement, however, when calcined at high temperature, the catalytic activity of Pd/Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ/substrate monolithic catalysts had significant improvement. As catalyst washcoat, the Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ had better thermal stability than the washcoat Ce0.8Zr0.2O2, the developed Pd/Ce0.8Zr0.15La0.05Oδ/ substrate monolithic catalyst in this work was promising for eliminating Volatile organic compounds.

Effects of toluene on thiophene adsorption over NaY and Ce(IV)Y zeolites

Zeolites NaY and Ce（IV）Y were employed as adsorbents to remove organic sulfur compounds from model gasoline （MG） solutions with and without toluene in static adsorption experiments at room temperature （RT） and atmospheric pressure. The adsorbents were characterized by XRD, XRF and pyridine infrared spectrum （IR）. The adsorption experiments show that the desulfurization performance of Ce（IV）Y is much better than that of NaY. The sulfur removal over both NaY and Ce（IV）Y decreases with the increase of toluene concentration in MG, however, the decline tendency on Ce（IV）Y is smooth, and it is steep on NaY. FT-IR spectra of thiophene adsorption indicate that thiophene molecules are mainly adsorbed on NaY via π electron interaction, but on Ce（IV）Y, in addition to the π electron interaction, both Ce^4＋-S direct interaction and protonation of thiophene also play important roles. Toluene molecules are adsorbed on NaY also via π electron interaction. Although the amount of Bronsted acid sites is increased due to the introduction of Ce^4＋ ions into NaY zeolite, it is not found to influence the adsorption mode of toluene over Ce（IV）Y. Compared with NaY zeolite, the improved desulfurization performance over Ce（IV）Y for removing organic sulfur compounds from MG solution, especially those containing large amount of aromatics, may be ascribed to the direct Ce（IV）-S interaction, which is much resistant to the influence resulted from toluene adsorption.

Depolymerization of Poly(bisphenol A carbonate) in Subcritical and Supercritical Toluene

The depolymerization of poly（bisphenol A carbonate）（PC） in subcritical and supercritical toluene was studied. The experimental parameters, which influence the depolymerization reaction such as temperature （570-633 K）, pressure （4.0-7.0 MPa）, reaction time （5-60 min）, and toluene to PC weight ratio （3.0-11.0）, were investigated, and the reaction products were determined by CrC, GC/MS and FT-IR spectrometer. It was found that the main product of the depolymerization reaction was bisphenol A（BPA）. BPA accounted for over 55.7% of the depolymerization products at reaction temperature 613 K, pressure 5.0-6.0 MPa, reaction time 15 min and toluene/PC weight ratio of around 7.0.

Kinetics of Liquid-Phase Hydrogenation of Toluene Catalyzed by Hydrogen Storage Alloy MlNi_5

The kinetics of liquid-phase hydrogenation of toluene catalyzed by MlNi_5 was studied by investigating the influences of the reaction temperature and pressure on the mass transfer-reaction processes inside the slurry. The results show that the reaction rate accelerates when the reaction temperature increases, and reaches its maximum at about 490 K, but if temperature is higher than 510 K, the reaction rate decreases rapidly. The whole reaction process is controlled by the reaction at the surface of the catalyst particles. The mass transfer resistance at gas-liquid interface and that from the bulk liquid phase to the surface of the catalyst particle can be neglected. The apparent reaction rate is zero order for toluene concentration and first order for hydrogen concentration in the liquid phase. The kinetic model is obtained. The kinetic model fits the experimental data very well. The apparent activation energy of the hydrogen absorption reaction of MlNi_5-toluene slurry system is 41.01 kJ·mol^(-1).

Removal of Toluene by Adsorption/Desorption Using Ultra-stable Y Zeolite

The adsorption performance of toluene on ultra-stable Y zeolite (USY) was studied via dynamic adsorption. The eff ects of bed temperature, initial concentration, and feed fl ow rate on adsorption were investigated. The Yoon-Nelson model was used to fi t the toluene breakthrough curves. The length of mass transfer zone was calculated based on breakthrough curves. The Langmuir-Freundlich model fi t the adsorption isotherms of toluene on USY, which indicated that the surface of USY was heterogeneous. The adsorption isosteric heat calculated from adsorption isotherms ranged from 54.3 to 69.8 kJ/mol, indicating physical adsorption. The combined technique of temperature swing adsorption with vacuum swing adsorption (TVSA) exhibited excellent desorption performance, which was attributed to the low desorption activation energy. Under optimized TVSA conditions, the desorption rate of toluene reached 90.6% within 10 min. The long-term cyclic utilization results indicated that the adsorption capacity of USY was stable.