Reflux-synthesized bulk and diluted W-Nb-O mixed oxide bronzes for the valorization of short-chain oxygenates aqueous mixtures

This work reports the preparation of bulk and KIT-6-diluted W-Nb-O mixed oxide bronzes by a reflux method. The influence of the incorporation of Nb and a mesoporous silica on the physicochemical features of the catalysts is studied. The addition of Nb favors the formation of single-phase oxide bronze structure, with improved Lewis acidity;while the incorporation of KIT-6 gives rise to well-dispersed mixed metal oxide particles on the diluter. These diluted W-Nb-O catalysts present enhanced surface areas and mesopore volumes. The materials have been tested in the valorization of an aqueous model mixture (acetol/propanal/ethanol/acetic acid/water weight ratio of 5/25/10/30/30), through C-C bond formation reactions. The increase in the Lewis nature of surface acid sites stands as the key point to maximize the total organic yield during the reaction (C5-C10 products). The best catalysts maintain their catalytic behavior after five consecutive uses.

Novel synthetic route to Ce-Cu-W-O microspheres for efficient catalytic oxidation of vinyl chloride emissions

The solubility of ammonium tungstate in a special hydrothermal condition is exploited to synthesize uniform microspheres of Ce-Cu-W-O oxides.Compared to their W-undoped counterparts,they possess more Ce^3+ and oxygen vacancies,thereby promoting oxygen mobility.The formed rich WO3 surface can effectively provide acid sites,which is helpful for adsorption of vinyl chloride and interrupting the C-Cl bond.In addition,the presence of WO3 induces the formation of finer CuO nanoparticles with respect to the traditional coprecipitation method,thereby resulting in a better reducibility.Benefiting from both the enhanced acidity and reducibility,the Ce-Cu-W-O microspheres deliver excellent low-temperature vinyl chloride oxidation activity(a reaction rate of 2.01×10^-7 mol/(gcat·s)at 250℃)and high HCl selectivity.Moreover,subtle deactivation occurs after the three cycling activity tests,and a stable vinyl chloride conversion as well as mineralization are observed during the 72-h durability test at 300℃,which demonstrates good thermal stability.Our strategy can provide new insights into the design and synthesis of metal oxides for catalytic oxidation of chlorinated volatile organic compounds.

热带假丝酵母正烷烃代谢研究及代谢工程方法进展

正烷烃在热带假丝酵母(Candidatropicalis)细胞内的代谢过程主要包括ω-氧化和β-氧化两个反应途径,前者促使脂肪酸的生成,后者则涉及脂肪酸的降解,二者均由一系列的酶催化完成。本文综述了烷烃代谢过程的机理,以及各种相关酶及其基因的研究状况。在此基础上,进一步对与C·tropicalis有关的分子遗传学方法,以及代谢工程方面在近年来的研究进展进行了介绍。

Highly efficient Z-scheme WO_(3-x) quantum dots/TiO_2 for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Z-scheme semiconductors are a promising class of photocatalysts for hydrogen generation.In this work,Z-scheme semiconductors composed of WO3-x quantum dots supported on TiO2（WO3-xQDS/TiO2） were fabricated by solvothermal and hydrogen-reduction methods.Characterization by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction indicated that the amount and size of the WO3-x QDs could be tuned by modulating the addition of the W precursor.Evidence from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy suggested that the hydrogen reduction of the composite induced the formation of oxygen vacancy（W^5＋/Vo） defects in WO3.These defects led to ohmic contact between WO3-x and TiO2,which altered the charge-transfer pathway from type Ⅱ heterojunction to Z-scheme,and maintained the highly reductive and oxidative ability of TiO2 and WO3-x,respectively.Therefore,the Z-scheme sample showed 1.3-fold higher photoactivity than pure TiO2 in hydrogen generation.These results suggest that the formation of W^5＋/Vo defects at the interface is highly beneficial for the fabrication of Z-scheme photocatalysts.

Dehydration of sugars to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and non-stoichiometric formic and levulinic acids over mesoporous Ta and Ta-W oxide solid acid catalysts

A series of mesoporous Ta and Ta-W oxides have been prepared and employed as solid acid catalysts for the dehydration of fructose and glucose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF).Solid state 31 P MAS NMR spectroscopic results using trimethylphosphine(TMP)as a probe molecule show that the acid strength and the ratio of Br?nsted to Lewis acid sites increase gradually with the addition of tungsten in tantalum oxide.It is found that high sugar conversion and HMF selectivity are achieved over catalyst with relatively high ratios of Br?nsted to Lewis acid sites.Unexpected stoichiometric excess of formic acid relative to levulinic acid can be observed mainly because of direct decomposition of fructose over Lewis acid sites.The addition of 2-butanol leads to the increase of sugars conversion and the HMF selectivity,especially for the catalyst with high ratio of Br?nsted to Lewis acid sites.Among them,Ta7W3 oxide catalyst shows 54%HMF selectivity and good reusability with the addition of 2-butanol by extracting HMF from aqueous phase and removing humins deposed on the surface of the catalyst.

Chemical looping partial oxidation over FeWOx/SiO2 catalysts

This paper describes the design of a FeWOx-based oxygen carrier for the chemical partial oxidation of methane(CLPOM).Thermodynamic screening and kinetic analyses both forecast the FeWOx-based oxygen carrier as a promising candidate for the production of syngas.The total methane conversion and syngas yield can be dramatically increased with this catalyst compared to the case with the unmodified WO3/SiO2,thereby enabling CLPOM with 62%methane conversion,93%CO gas-phase selectivity,94%H2 selectivity,and a 2.4 H2/CO ratio.The catalyst has the advantages of high availability of lattice oxygen to oxidize carbonaceous intermediates in time,together with the formation of an Fe-W alloy to promote the surface reaction.Consequently,it demonstrates excellent catalytic performance with no catalyst deactivation at 900°C and 1 atm.The excellent structural stability plays an essential role in CLPOM.As revealed via XPS and ICP,the phase segregation has not been observed due to the strong interaction between Fe and W,which resulted in the formation of the Fe-W alloy during the reduction processes and the match between the ion oxidation rates of the Fe and W ions in the oxidation stage.The results provide fundamental information on the reaction mechanism of FeWOx/SiO2,and present it as a promising candidate for CLPOM.