Utilizing Carbonaceous Materials Derived from [BMIM][TCM] Ionic Liquid Precursor: Dual Role as Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Adsorbents for Aromatics and CO.

This work presents the synthesis of N-doped nanoporous carbon materials using the Ionic Liquid (IL) 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tricyanomethanide [BMIM][TCM] as a fluidic carbon precursor, employing two carbonization pathways: templated precursor and pyrolysis/activation. Operando monitoring of mass loss during pyrolytic and activation treatments provides insights into chemical processes, including IL decomposition, polycondensation reactions and pore formation. Comparatively low mass reduction rates were observed at all stages.

Comparison of the Mg-Li Separation of Different Nanofiltration Membranes.

Nanofiltration application for the separation of Mg-Li from salt-lake brines was attempted in the present work. Four different nanofiltration membranes identified in the manuscript as DL, DK, NF-270, and NF-90 were used to treat salt brine with a magnesium to lithium ratio (MLR) of 61, additionally contaminated by the other ions such as Na, K, Ca, etc. The effect of the dilution factor, operating pressure, circulation rate, and feed pH were assessed to identify the optimal operating conditions for each membrane based on the retention efficiency of each ion.

Thermocatalytic Decomposition of Methane: A Review on Carbon-Based Catalysts.

The global initiatives on sustainable and green energy resources as well as large methane reserves have encouraged more research to convert methane to hydrogen. Catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) is one optimistic route to generate clean hydrogen and value-added carbon without the emission of harmful greenhouse gases, typically known as blue hydrogen. This Review begins with an attempt to understand fundamentals of a CDM process in terms of thermodynamics and the prerequisite characteristics of the catalyst materials.

Effective removal of organics from Bayer liquor through combined sonolysis and ozonation: Kinetics and mechanism.

The presence of organic compounds in the waste liquor is of serious environmental concern that has plagued the development of alumina industry (Bayer Process). The present work attempts to develop a green and efficient process for removal of organics utilizing combined effect of sonolysis and ozonation (US/O). The effects of reaction duration, ozone concentration and ultrasonic power are assessed for sonolysis (US), ozonation (O) and combination of sonolysis and ozonation (US/O).

Improved permeability and antifouling performance of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes tailored by hydroxyapatite/boron nitride nanocomposites.

To extend the use of polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes in water process engineering, the membrane's wettability and anti-fouling properties should be further improved. In this context, hydroxyapatite/boron nitride (HAp/BN) nanocomposites have been prepared and intercalated into PES membranes using a non-solvent-induced phase separation process. High-quality 2D transparent boron nitride nanosheets (BN NSs) were prepared using an environmentally friendly and green-template assisted synthesis method in which 1D hexagonal hydroxyapatite nanosheets (HAp NRs) were uniformly distributed and hydrothermally immobilized at 180 °C.

Microwave pyrolysis of walnut shell for reduction process of low-grade pyrolusite.

Replacing fossil energy by utilizing biomass as carbon source to convert metal oxides has meaning for reduction of minerals. Microwave pyrolysis of walnut shell for reduction process of low-grade pyrolusite was proposed. Thermogravimetric analysis indicated biomass pyrolysis process for reduction of pyrolusite was divided into four phases identified by temperatures: dehydration stage (<150 °C), pre-pyrolysis stage (150 °C-290 °C), curing decomposition stage (290 °C-480 °C) and carbonization stage (>480 °C), and manganese recovery reached 92.

Microwave dielectric properties and thermochemical characteristics of the mixtures of walnut shell and manganese ore.

In this work, dielectric properties and thermochemical characteristics of mixtures of walnut shell and manganese ore were systematically investigated. Results indicated that reducing manganese ore by walnut shell was divided into four stages identified by temperatures: <150 °C, 150 °C-300 °C, 300 °C-480 °C, greater than 480 °C. Higher than 200 °C, the dielectric constants (ε'), dielectric loss factors (ε″) and loss tangent coefficients (tan δ) of mixture at a ore/biomass mixing ratio of 10:1.

Multi-scale investigation of the formation and properties of high-grade rutile TiO from titanium slags using microwave heating.

In this paper, the phase transition of titanium slag under microwave heating observed through electron microscopy was systematically investigated. The phase identification and transformation as well as the morphology of samples before and after each treatment were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD confirmed that sodium salt roasting could modify the phase composition of titanium slag.

Efficient cleaning extraction of silver from spent symbiosis lead-zinc mine assisted by ultrasound in sodium thiosulfate system.

The process to fast recovery of silver from the spent symbiosis lead-zinc mine enhanced by ultrasound has been developed. A system composed of thiosulfate and the spent symbiosis lead-zinc mine under ultrasound radiation is researched and compared with regular methods to prove the superiority of ultrasound enhanced leaching. Oxygen is not provided by the usual way but by the cavitation of ultrasound, and the effect of ultrasonic enhanced leaching is more obvious than oxygen enhanced leaching effect.

Correction: Preparation of magnesium silicate/carbon composite for adsorption of rhodamine B.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/C7RA12848G.].

Preparation of magnesium silicate/carbon composite for adsorption of rhodamine B.

A magnesium silicate/carbon composite was prepared by a simple hydrothermal method using sodium silicate, magnesium sulfate, glucose and sodium acetate as raw materials. The composite was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and BET to understand the morphological and chemical changes. It was found that the composite was composed of amorphous magnesium silicate and amorphous hydrothermal carbon with a layered porous structure and a specific surface area of 235 m g.

Ultrasound-assisted leaching of rare earths from the weathered crust elution-deposited ore using magnesium sulfate without ammonia-nitrogen pollution.

The in situ leaching process of China's unique ion-adsorption rare earth ores has caused severe environmental damages due to the use of (NH)SO solution. This study reports that magnesium sulfate (MgSO) as a leaching agent would replace (NH)SO by ultrasonically assisted leaching to deal with the ammonia-nitrogen pollution problem and enhance leaching process. At leaching conditions of 3wt% MgSO concentration, 3:1L/S ratio and 30min, the total rare earth leaching efficiency reaches 75.

Equilibrium model analysis of waste plastics gasification using CO and steam.

Utilization of carbon dioxide (CO) in thermochemical treatment of waste plastics may significantly help to improve CO recycling, thus simultaneously curtailing dioxins/furans and CO emissions. Although CO is not such an effective gasifying agent as steam, a few investigations have explored the utilization of CO in conjunction with steam to achieve somewhat higher carbon conversion. This work presents a comparative evaluation study of CO and steam gasification of a typical post-consumer waste plastics mixture using an Aspen Plus equilibrium model.

Ultrasound augmented leaching of nickel sulfate in sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide media.

A new method of preparation high purity nickel sulfate assisted by ultrasonic was studied. The process mechanism was analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS).The reaction mechanisms of oxidizing leaching and ultrasonic leaching were explored, respectively.

Food wastes derived adsorbents for carbon dioxide and benzene gas sorption.

Food wastes are produced worldwide in large quantities that could have potential to produce higher value products, including industrial adsorbents. The present work attempts valorization of food waste by CO activation and functionalization through nitric acid and melamine treatment. The prepared porous materials were subjected to gas phase adsorption of CO and benzene gases.

A comparison of ultrasound-augmented and conventional leaching of silver from sintering dust using acidic thiourea.

In the process of steel manufacture, up to ten millions of tons of sintering dust (SD) are produced annually in China, which contain noble metals such as Ag. Therefore, recovery of silver (Ag) from SD could be a potential economic and environmental activity. The purpose of this article is to generate information about reaction kinetics of silver leaching with thiourea from SD, comparing the conventional and ultrasonic-augment leaching.

A Facile Synthesis of Mesoporous Sulfonated Carbon and Its Structural Properties.

Mesoporous sulfonated carbons (SC) have been synthesized using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a silica source and sucrose as carbon source. The synthesized SC samples were carbonized in N₂flow at various high temperatures and then passing high purity air at room temperature. In this study, we extended the idea to deposit more oxygen functional groups into the surface of SC being high micropores for the favorable adsorption applications.

Synthesis of porous sulfonated carbon as a potential adsorbent for phenol wastewater.

The work reports a facile synthesis procedure for preparation of porous sulfonated carbons and its suitability for adsorption of phenol. The sulfonated carbon was synthesized utilizing a simplified, single-step, shorter duration process by sulfonation, dehydration and carbonization of sucrose in sulfuric acid and tetraethylorthosilicate. The surface and internal structures of the adsorbents were characterized utilizing various characterization techniques to understand the porous nature and surface functional groups of the porous matrix.

KOH-based porous carbon from date palm seed: preparation, characterization, and application to phenol adsorption.

The date palm seed being one of the major forms of biomass produced from the date industry in UAE, its potential to be an appropriate precursor for the preparation of porous carbon utilizing KOH as an activating agent is assessed in the present work. The porous carbon is prepared at an activation temperature of 600 °C, impregnation ratio of 2, and activation duration of 1 hour, in an inert atmosphere using a conventional horizontal furnace. The resultant porous carbon has a Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area of 892 m(2)/g, pore volume of 0.

Elemental mercury adsorption on sulfur-impregnated porous carbon - a review.

The presence of elemental mercury in wellhead natural gas is an important industrial problem, since even low levels of mercury can damage cryogenic aluminium heat exchangers and other plant equipment. Mercury present in the natural gas stream will also dramatically shorten the useful life of precious metal catalysts. The present work reviews the overall process of elemental mercury removal in practice using non-regenerative adsorbents (e.

Preparation of modified semi-coke by microwave heating and adsorption kinetics of methylene blue.

Preparation of modified semi-coke has been achieved, using phosphoric acid as the modifying agent, by microwave heating from virgin semi-coke. Process optimization using a Central Composite Design (CCD) design of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) technique for the preparation of modifies semi-coke is presented in this paper. The optimum conditions for producing modified semi-coke were: concentration of phosphoric acid 2.

Temperature and moisture dependence of the dielectric properties of silica sand.

The major objective of this work was to investigate the effects of temperature and moisture content on the dielectric properties of silica sand. The dielectric properties of moist silica sand at five temperatures between 20 to 100 degrees C, covering different moisture content levels at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, were measured with an open-ended coaxial probe dielectric measurement system.

Process optimization of preparation of ZnO-porous carbon composite from spent catalysts using one step activation.

The process parameters of one step preparation of ZnO/Activated Carbon (AC) composite materials, from vinyl acetate synthesis spent catalyst were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) and the central composite rotatable design (CCD). Regeneration temperature, time and flow rate of CO2 were the process variables, while the iodine number and the yield were the response variables. All the three process variables were found to significantly influence the yield of the regenerated carbon, while only the regeneration temperature and CO2 flow rate were found to significantly affect the iodine number.

Optimization of hydrous ferrous sulfate dehydration by microwave heating using response surface methodology.

The work relates to assessing the ability of the microwave for dehydration of large amount of waste hydrous ferrous sulfate generated from the titanium pigment process industry. The popular process optimization tool of response surface methodology with central composite design was adopted to estimate the effect of dehydration. The process variables were chosen to be power input, duration of heating and the bed thickness, while the response variable being the weight loss.

Preparation of high surface area activated carbon from coconut shells using microwave heating.

The present study attempts to utilize coconut shell to prepare activated carbon using agents such as steam, CO(2) and a mixture of steam-CO(2) with microwave heating. Experimental results show that the BET surface area of activated carbons irrespective of the activation agent resulted in surface area in excess of 2000 m(2)/g. The activation time using microwave heating is very much shorter, while the yield of the activated carbon compares well with the conventional heating methods.