High Conversion of CaO-Catalyzed Transesterification of Vegetable Oils with Ethanol.

Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) derived from vegetable oils and ethanol are promising bio-based chemicals for various applications such as biofuel, monomers for polyesters, and fine chemicals. However, the limited conversion and yield are obtained in the conventional methods due to low boiling point of ethanol that thus requires conducting the reaction at low temperature. This work demonstrates high yield of FAEEs from soybean, rice bran and palm oil with ethanol by performing the transesterification at high temperatures of 150-200°C by using CaO catalyst in a high pressure reactor.

Roles of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate on Tetrahydrofuran-Assisted Methane Hydrate Formation.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) markedly improved tetrahydrofuran (THF) - assisted methane hydrate formation. Firstly, methane hydrate formation with different THF amount, 1, 3, and 5.56 mol%, was studied.

Synthesis of Well-Defined Oligo(2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene)s with Chiral End Groups: Unique Helical Aggregations Induced by the Chiral Chain Ends.

Oligo(2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene)s containing three different chiral alkoxy substituents on the phenyl end groups with structurally regular (all trans) controlled repeat units have been prepared; these compounds showed highly enhanced aggregation-induced circular dichroism (AICD; formation of supramolecular polymers), and an inversion of the CD signal was observed even with the same end groups under certain conditions.

Synthesis and structural analysis of tungsten-carbonyl dimers bridged with oligo(2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene)s through pyridine coordination.

Tungsten carbonyl dimers bridged with oligo(2,5-dialkoxy-1,4-phenylene vinylene)s through coordination with pyridine as the end groups, expressed as [W(CO)5]2-(nPV-Py2) [n = 1, 3; alkoxy = O(CH2)2OSi(i)Pr3], have been prepared from W(CO)5(THF) with nPV-Py2 in THF, and their structures were determined by X-ray crystallography. Both increase in absorbance and redshift in the λmax values in [W(CO)5]2-(nPV-Py2) from their nPV-Py2 were observed in the UV-vis spectra, due to increase in the conjugation length through tungsten by coordination of the pyridine moiety; an extension of the conjugation was also confirmed by the crystallographic analysis as well as fluorescence spectra.

Competitive surfactant adsorption of AOT and Tween 20 on gold measured using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation.

Competitive surfactant adsorption of anionic surfactant AOT and nonionic surfactant Tween 20 on gold was investigated by using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) at 25 °C. The adsorption isotherm of pure AOT did not reach a plateau at the CMC, but rather adsorption continued to increase gradually at concentrations higher than the CMC before reaching a plateau. This behavior is evidence of competitive adsorption between AOT and impurities.

Physicochemical properties of oleic acid-based partially fluorinated gemini surfactants.

We have developed oleic acid-based partially fluorinated gemini surfactants with carboxylic acid headgroups. The fluorocarbon chain is covalently bound to the terminal carbonyl group of oleic acid via a -CH(2)CH(2)OCO- unit, and the carboxylic acid headgroups are introduced to the cis double bond of oleic acid via -OCOCH(2)CH(2)- units. The aqueous solution properties of these surfactants were studied at pH 9 in the presence of 10 mmol dm–3 NaCl by means of static surface tension, pyrene fluorescence, and dynamic light scattering measurements.

Quaternary ammonium-type gemini surfactants synthesized from oleic acid: aqueous solution properties and adsorption characteristics.

Cationic gemini surfactants having a quaternary ammonium headgroup have been synthesized from oleic acid. The hydrocarbon chain is covalently bound to the terminal carbonyl group of oleic acid via an amide bond, while the quaternary ammonium headgroup is introduced onto the cis double bond of oleic acid. The Krafft temperature of these surfactants drops below room temperature (ca.

Pyrolytic characteristics of sewage sludge.

In this study, a number of different sewage sludge including sludge samples from industrial and hospital wastewater treatment plants were characterized for pyrolysis behavior by means of thermogravimetric analysis up to 800 degrees C. According to the thermogravimetric results, five different types of mass loss behaviors were observed depending on the nature of the sludge used. Typical main decomposition steps occurred between 250 and 550 degrees C although some still decomposed at higher temperatures.