Pressurised gasification of wet ethanol fermentation residue for synthesis gas production.

Pressurised steam gasification of wet biomass in a fixed-bed downdraft gasifier was implemented to identify reaction conditions yielding the highest synthesis gas concentration and efficiency, and to examine the generation of sulphur compounds. The gasification of lignin-rich fermentation residue derived from a bench-plant for bioethanol production from woody biomass was investigated at p=0.99MPa and T=750-900°C for steam to biomass ratios (S/B) of 3.

Simultaneous determinations of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) by ion-exclusion/cation-exchange chromatography with an unmodified silica-gel column.

In order to characterize the ion-exclusion and cation-exchange properties of an unmodified silica-gel column, the retention behaviors of Cr(VI) and Cr(III) ions were investigated using a Develosil 30-5 (150 x 4.6 mm i.d.

Single-step microwave digestion with HNO(3) alone for determination of trace elements in coal by ICP spectrometry.

A microwave digestion method with HNO(3) alone was conducted at a temperature as high as 250 degrees C for determination of 19 trace elements (Li, Be, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba, Hg, and Pb) in coal jointly by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and flow injection ICP-MS (FI-ICP-MS). The validity of determination was assessed by using three standard coals, SRM 1632c, BCR 180, and SARM 19. It was found that the high-temperature digestion led to an extensive decomposition of the organic matrix and clay in coal, and no dissolved and solid carbon remained in the final solution after evaporation.

Carboxylations of alkali metal phenoxides with carbon dioxide.

The reaction mechanism of the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction of phenol and 2-naphthol has been investigated. An alkali metal phenoxide-CO2 complex is not an intermediate that can be easily transformed into a carboxylic acid, such as salicylic acid (SA) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (pHBA). A direct carboxylation of phenoxide with CO2 takes place even at room temperature, and is competitive with the formation of the CO2 complex.