7 research outputs found
Mesoporous Porphyrin-Silica Nanocomposite as Solid Acid Catalyst for High Yield Synthesis of HMF in Water
No full textSolid acid catalysts occupy a special class in heterogeneous catalysis for their efficiency in eco-friendly conversion of biomass into demanding chemicals. We synthesized porphyrin containing porous organic polymers (PorPOPs) using colloidal silica as a support. Post-modification with chlorosulfonic acid enabled sulfonic acid functionalization, and the resulting material (PorPOPS) showed excellent activity and durability for the conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) in green solvent water. PorPOPS composite was characterized by N2 sorption, FTIR, TGA, CHNS, FESEM, TEM and XPS techniques, justifying the successful synthesis of organic networks and the grafting of sulfonic acid sites (5 wt%). Furthermore, a high surface area (260 m2/g) and the presence of distinct mesopores of ~15 nm were distinctly different from the porphyrin containing sulfonated porous organic polymer (FePOP-1S). Surprisingly the hybrid PorPOPS showed an excellent yield of HMF (85%) and high selectivity (>90%) in water as compared to microporous pristine-FePOP-1S (yield of HMF = 35%). This research demonstrates the requirement of organic modification on silica surfaces to tailor the activity and selectivity of the catalysts. We foresee that this research may inspire further applications of biomass conversion in water in future environmental research
Micro-irrigation in India
Get PDFPresented at the 2002 USCID/EWRI conference, Energy, climate, environment and water - issues and opportunities for irrigation and drainage on July 9-12 in San Luis Obispo, California.On-farm production, income and water use efficiency for horticultural and other agronomical crops in terms of the benefit cost ratio micro-irrigation systems were calculated, and it is observed that B.C. ratio of drip irrigation was greater than conventional methods of irrigation. The water use efficiency was also higher than for conventional methods of irrigation. The monetary gains from micro-irrigation systems were larger than for conventional methods of irrigation for all crops. Information on water use efficiency, productivity and advantages of micro-irrigation compared to conventional irrigation methods is compiled and presented
USCID/EWRI conference
Get PDFPresented at the 2002 USCID/EWRI conference, Energy, climate, environment and water - issues and opportunities for irrigation and drainage on July 9-12 in San Luis Obispo, California.A new canal automation system, known as SACMAN (Software for Automated Canal MANagement), has been developed at the U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory in cooperation with Automata, Inc. through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. SACMAN works with a commercial Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. It allows canal operators to automatically route scheduled changes in demand through their canal system utilizing volume-compensation and time delay calculations. SACMAN can automatically maintain constant water levels on the upstream side of check structures with either downstream or upstream control logic. SACMAN is also capable of automatically maintaining constant gate flows and making incremental gate flow changes. The operator can also make manual changes to the system without turning the automation off. The SACMAN system is currently being tested in real time on the WM canal, a lateral canal of the Maricopa Stanfield Irrigation and Drainage District (MSIDD) in Central Arizona. At the control center, the SACMAN system uses a standard personal computer and commercial SCADA package. Each gate is operated with limitorque motors (not part of this package), which are controlled with Automata's "Mini" Remote Terminal Unit (RTU). Control is based on water level and gate position sensors. A new gate-position sensor was developed that includes both absolute (potentiometer) and very fine relative (optical encoder) position. Communication between the personal computer and RTUs is accomplished with spread-spectrum radios and MODBUS communication protocol. The entire system is available through Automata, Inc. The paper includes a brief description of the software, hardware, and field-test results
Viscoelastic characteristics of pentane swollen polystyrene beads
No full textInternational audienceExpansion of pentane‐swollen polystyrene beads was followed at and above the glass transition by using a very simple optical technique. Measurements allowed a suitable determination of the glass transition temperature and of the viscoelastic characteristics of the pentane‐plasticized polystyrene chains inside the beads, at different pentane contents. This was achieved by combining the well‐known Williams, Landel, and Ferry approach and some calculations derived from a recent micromechanical modeling of the expanded polystyrene microstructure. The results, analyzed in terms of free volume characteristics, revealed the peculiar plasticizing character of pentane, as compared to the usual polymer diluents. A value of 42°C was found as the lowest temperature for which the dimensional variation of the beads could result from glass transition motions. The relevance of these conclusions was discussed, not just in terms of the changes in dimensions of the individual beads at zero expansion time but also in terms of the dimensional evolution observed in the expanded polystyrene structures
Abstracts of the International Chemical Engineering Conference 2021: 100 Glorious Years of Chemical Engineering & Technology
Get PDFThis book presents the selected abstracts of the International Chemical Engineering Conference 2021, hosted from the 16th to 19th of September 2021 in virtual mode by the Department of Chemical Engineering, NIT Jalandhar, India.
Conference Title: International Chemical Engineering Conference 2021Conference Acronym: ICheEC2021Theme: 100 Glorious Years of Chemical Engineering & TechnologyConference Date: 16-19 September 2021Conference Location: OnlineConference Organizer: Department of Chemical Engineering, NIT Jalandhar, Indi
