Publications by authors named "Songbo He"

Article Synopsis
  • This review summarizes various chemical methods to transform renewable resources into benzenoid aromatics, considering materials like lignocellulose, carbohydrates, fats, and fermentation products.
  • Two main approaches are highlighted: catalytic fast pyrolysis, which operates at high temperatures and produces biochar, gases, and aromatic oils, and a multi-step conversion process using platform chemicals derived from lignocellulose or sugars.
  • Significant research has centered on furan compounds, with successful applications leading to the construction of large-scale plants for the conversion of lignocellulose to xylene, including one that has started operations in 2023.
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Pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and waste plastics has been intensely studied in the last few decades to obtain renewable fuels and chemicals. Various pyrolysis devices have been developed for use in a laboratory setting, operated either in batch or continuously at scales ranging from milligrams per hour to tenths of g per hour. We report here the design and operation of a novel staged free-fall (catalytic) pyrolysis unit and demonstrate that the concept works very well for the (catalytic) pyrolysis of pinewood sawdust, paper sludge, and polypropylene as representative feeds.

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The catalytic coconversion of glycerol and toluene (93/7 wt %) over a technical H-ZSM-5/AlO (60-40 wt %) catalyst was studied, aiming for enhanced production of biobased benzene, toluene, and xylenes (bio-BTX). When using glycerol/toluene cofeed with a mass ratio of 93/7 wt %, a peak BTX carbon yield of 29.7 ± 1.

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The bio-adsorption of heavy metals (including Cu, Ni, and Zn) in aqueous solution and also in an industry wastewater using the ZnO-modified date pits (MDP) as the bio-adsorbent are investigated. The fresh and used bio-adsorbents were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, BET, and XRD. The bio-adsorption parameters (including the pH of solution, the particle size of MDP, the shaking speed, the initial concentration of heavy metals, the dosing of MDP, the adsorption time, and the adsorption temperature) were screened and the data were used to optimize the bio-adsorption process and to study the bio-adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics.

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Article Synopsis
  • * A catalytic co-conversion strategy using a specific catalyst at high temperatures showed that mixing glycerol with oleic acid significantly improved the yield and quality of bio-based aromatics (BTX).
  • * The study revealed that both glycerol and the added co-feed contribute to the final aromatics produced, and the findings can inform better strategies for maximizing BTX production.
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In this work, the inverse fluidized-bed bio-adsorption column is applied for the first time and is demonstrated using the torrefied rice husk (TRH) for the removal of methylene blue from the solution. The bio-adsorbents were characterized by BET, FI-IR, and SEM. The inverse fluidized-bed adsorption column using TRH becomes saturated in the 95-min continuous adsorption, during which the breakthrough time is 22 min, the overall MB removal (R) is 84%, and the adsorption capacity (Q) on the TRH is 6.

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The catalytic conversion of oleic acid to aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylenes, BTX) over a granular H-ZSM-5/AlO catalyst (ϕ 1.2-1.8 mm, 10 g loading) was investigated in a continuous bench-scale fixed-bed reactor (10 g oleic acid h).

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Well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were assembled on activated carbon fibers by a stepwise sequence of sol-gel and hydrothermal synthesis methods. These ZnO nanorod arrays on activated carbon fibers having different characteristics such as surface area, rod concentration, aspect ratio and defect level, were applied as catalysts for the photodegradation of an aqueous methylene blue solution. They showed very promising methylene blue adsorbility in the dark (ca.

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The synthesis of phosphine-based functional covalent organic frameworks (COFs) has attracted great attention recently. Herein, we present two examples of triphenylphosphine-based COFs (termed P-COFs) with well-defined crystalline structures, high specific surface areas, and good thermal stability. Furthermore, rhodium catalysts with these P-COFs as support material show high turnover frequency for the hydroformylation of olefins, as well as excellent recycling performance.

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Herein we present the first example of a glycol-coordinated ε-Keggin Al13 chloride (gl-ε-Al13), which is the first chelated version since discovery of Al13 in 1960. The molecular structure consists of [AlO4Al12(OH)12(OC2H4OH)12]Cl7·H2O units with chelating mono-anionic ethylene glycol units replacing one bridging and one terminal oxygen site.

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The catalyst Ru/TiZrO(4) was applied in the degradation of Isophorone by catalytic wet air oxidation. Mathematical models for the effects of reaction conditions on the Isophorone degradation by catalytic wet air oxidation were developed using a response surface methodology. A model was obtained for each response with multiple regression analysis and then was refined.

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Versatile syntheses of secondary and tertiary amines by highly efficient direct N-alkylation of primary and secondary amines with alcohols or by deaminative self-coupling of primary amines have been successfully realized by means of a heterogeneous bimetallic Pt-Sn/γ-Al(2)O(3) catalyst (0.5 wt % Pt, Pt/Sn molar ratio=1:3) through a borrowing-hydrogen strategy. In the presence of oxygen, imines were also efficiently prepared from the tandem reactions of amines with alcohols or between two primary amines.

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