Insights on a methanation catalyst aging process: Aging characterization and kinetic study

Power to gas systems is one of the most interesting long-term energy storage solutions. As a result of the high exothermicity of the CO2 methanation reaction, the catalyst in the methanation subsystem is subjected to thermal stress. Therefore, the performance of a commercial Ni/Al2O3 catalyst was investigated over a series of 100 hour-long tests and in-process relevant conditions, i.e. 5 bar from 270 to 500 °C. Different characterization techniques were employed to determine the mechanism of the observed performance loss (N2 physisorption, XRD, TPO). The TPO analysis excluded carbon deposition as a possible cause of catalyst aging. The BET analysis evidenced a severe reduction in the total surface area for the catalyst samples tested at higher temperatures. Furthermore, a direct correlation was found between the catalyst activity decline and the drop of the catalyst specific surface. In order to correctly design a reliable methanation reactor, it is essential to have a kinetic model that includes also the aging kinetics. For this purpose, the second set of experiments was carried out, in order to determine the intrinsic kinetics of the catalyst. The kinetic parameters were identified by using nonlinear regression analysis. Finally, a power-law aging model was proposed to consider the performance loss in time

Experimental and numerical investigations of a river embankment model under transient seepage conditions

The evaluation of riverbank stability often represents an underrated problem in engineering practice, but is also a topical geotechnical research issue. In fact, it is certainly true that soil water content and pore water pressure distributions in the riverbank materials vary with time, due to the changeable effects of hydrometric and climatic boundary conditions, strongly influencing the bank stability conditions. Nonetheless, the assessment of hydraulic and mechanical behavior of embankments are currently performed under the simplified hypothesis of steady\u2010state seepage, generally neglecting the unsaturated soil related issues. In this paper, a comprehensive procedure for properly defining the key aspects of the problem is presented and, in particular, the soil characterization in partially saturated conditions of a suitably compacted mixture of sand and finer material, typical of flood embankments of the main river Po tributaries (Italy), is reported. The laboratory results have then been considered for modelling the embankment performance under transient seepage and following a set of possible hydrometric peaks. The outcome of the present contribution may provide meaningful geotechnical insights, for practitioners and researchers, in the flood risk assessment of river embankments

Life cycle assessment of the biofuel production from lignocellulosic biomass in a hydrothermal liquefaction - aqueous phase reforming integrated biorefinery

The use of biofuels in the transport sector is one of the strategies for its decarbonization. Here, the LCA meth-odology was used for the first time to assess the environmental impacts of a biorefinery where hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and aqueous phase reforming (APR) were integrated. This novel coupling was proposed to valorize the carbon loss in the HTL-derived aqueous phase, while simultaneously reducing the external H2 de-mand during biocrude upgrading. Corn stover (residue) and lignin-rich stream (waste) were evaluated as possible lignocellulosic feedstocks. The global warming potential (GWP) was 56.1 and 58.4 g CO2 eq/MJbiofuel, respec-tively. Most of the GWP was attributable to the electrolysis step in the lignin-rich stream case and to the thermal duty and platinum use in the corn stover case. Other impact categories were investigated, and an uncertainty analysis was also carried out. A sensitivity analysis on biogenic carbon, electricity/thermal energy source and alternative hydrogen supply was conducted to estimate their influence on the GWP. Finally, the two scenarios were compared with the environmental impact of fossil-and other biomass-derived fuels, also considering fuel utilization. HTL-APR allowed a 37% reduction compared to fossil diesel, further reduced to 80% with the lignin -rich stream when green energy was used

Animal pigment bilirubin discovered in plants

The bile pigment bilirubin-IXα is the degradative product of heme, distributed among mammals and some other vertebrates. It can be recognized as the pigment responsible for the yellow color of jaundice and healing bruises. In this paper we present the first example of the isolation of bilirubin in plants. The compound was isolated from the brilliant orange-colored arils of Strelitzia nicolai, the white bird of paradise tree, and characterized by HPLC−ESMS, UV−visible, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR spectroscopy, as well as comparison with an authentic standard. This discovery indicates that plant cyclic tetrapyrroles may undergo degradation by a previously unknown pathway. Preliminary analyses of related plants, including S. reginae, the bird of paradise, also revealed bilirubin in the arils and flowers, indicating that the occurrence of bilirubin is not limited to a single species or tissue type

Bilirubin Present in Diverse Angiosperms

Background and aims: Bilirubin is an orange-yellow tetrapyrrole produced from the breakdown of heme by mammals and some other vertebrates. Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria synthesize molecules similar to bilirubin, including the protein-bound bilins and phytochromobilin which harvest or sense light. Recently, we discovered bilirubin in the arils of Strelitzia nicolai, the White Bird of Paradise Tree, which was the first example of this molecule in a higher plant. Subsequently, we identified bilirubin in both the arils and flowers of Strelitzia reginae, the Bird of Paradise Flower. In the arils of both species, bilirubin is present as the primary pigment, and thus functions to produce color. Previously, no tetrapyrroles were known to generate display color in plants. We were therefore interested in determining whether bilirubin is broadly distributed in the plant kingdom, and whether it contributes to color in other species

Insights from the pollination drop proteome and the ovule transcriptome of Cephalotaxus at the time of pollination drop production

© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. Background and Aims Many gymnosperms produce an ovular secretion, the pollination drop, during reproduction. The drops serve as a landing site for pollen, but also contain a suite of ions and organic compounds, including proteins, that suggests diverse roles for the drop during pollination. Proteins in the drops of species of Chamaecyparis, Juniperus, Taxus, Pseudotsuga, Ephedra and Welwitschia are thought to function in the conversion of sugars, defence against pathogens, and pollen growth and development. To better understand gymnosperm pollination biology, the pollination drop proteomes of pollination drops from two species of Cephalotaxus have been characterized and an ovular transcriptome for C. sinensis has been assembled. Methods Mass spectrometry was used to identify proteins in the pollination drops of Cephalotaxus sinensis and C. koreana. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) was employed to assemble a transcriptome and identify transcripts present in the ovules of C. sinensis at the time of pollination drop production. Key Results About 30 proteins were detected in the pollination drops of both species. Many of these have been detected in the drops of other gymnosperms and probably function in defence, polysaccharide metabolism and pollen tube growth. Other proteins appear to be unique to Cephalotaxus, and their putative functions include starch and callose degradation, among others. Together, the proteins appear either to have been secreted into the drop or to occur there due to breakdown of ovular cells during drop production. Ovular transcripts represent a wide range of gene ontology categories, and some may be involved in drop formation, ovule development and pollen-ovule interactions. Conclusions The proteome of Cephalotaxus pollination drops shares a number of components with those of other conifers and gnetophytes, including proteins for defence such as chitinases and for carbohydrate modification such as β-galactosidase. Proteins likely to be of intracellular origin, however, form a larger component of drops from Cephalotaxus than expected from studies of other conifers. This is consistent with the observation of nucellar breakdown during drop formation in Cephalotaxus. The transcriptome data provide a framework for understanding multiple metabolic processes that occur within the ovule and the pollination drop just before fertilization. They reveal the deep conservation of WUSCHEL expression in ovules and raise questions about whether any of the S-locus transcripts in Cephalotaxus ovules might be involved in pollen-ovule recognition

Design, Synthesis, and Anticancer Activity of a Selenium‐Containing Galectin‐3 and Galectin‐9N Inhibitor

Galectins are soluble β‐D‐galactoside‐binding proteins whose implication in cancer progression and disease outcome makes them prominent targets for therapeutic intervention. In this frame, the development of small inhibitors that block selectively the activity of galectins represents an important strategy for cancer therapy which is, however, still relatively underdeveloped. To this end, we designed here a rationally and efficiently novel diglycosylated compound, characterized by a selenoglycoside bond and the presence of a lipophilic benzyl group at both saccharide residues. The relatively high binding affinity of the new compound to the carbohydrate recognition domain of two galectins, galectin 3 and galectin 9, its good antiproliferative and anti‐migration activity towards melanoma cells, as well as its anti‐angiogenesis properties, pave the way for its further development as an anticancer agent

Analysis of transient seepage through a river embankment by means of centrifuge modelling

Earthen river embankments are typically in unsaturated conditions during their lifetime and the degree of saturation within their bodies may vary significantly throughout the year, due to seasonalfluctuations of the river stage, as well as infiltrations of meteoric precipitation and evapotranspiration phenomena. Given the significant effects of partial saturation on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of soils, realistic assumptions on the actual water content distribution inside the embankments are essential forproperly modelling their response to hydraulic loadings. In this framework, centrifuge modelling is a useful tool to get insights into the evolution of saturation conditions of a water retaining structure during flood events. It allows for the direct observation of the groundwater flow process, which is hardly detectable at the prototype scale, enabling, at the same time, the validation and calibration of predictive numerical tools.In this paper, the results of a centrifuge test carried out on small-scale physical model of a compacted silty clayey sand embankment subjected to a simulated high-water event, at the enhanced gravity of 50-g, are presented and discussed. The physical model was carefully instrumented with potentiometers, miniaturized pore pressure transducers and tensiometers. Pore pressures and suctions measured during the experiment showed that the stationary flow conditions were reached only after an unrealistic hydrometric peak persistence. It therefore emerges that, for the design and/or the assessment of the safety conditions of a river embankment similar to the one tested, the simplified hypothesis of a steady-state seepage, in equilibrium with the maximum river stage expected could result, in many cases, an excessively conservative assumption