Catalyst deactivation of a silica-supported bismuth-molybdenum complex oxide and the related complex oxides for the oxidative dehydrogenation of 1-butene to 1,3-butadiene

This study was an examination of the catalyst deactivation of a silica-supported bismuth-molybdenum complex oxide, and that of catalysts used in the absence of bismuth, for the oxidative dehydrogenation of 1-butene. Due to the detection of deactivation, the molar ratio of 1-butene against oxygen in the reactant gas was adjusted to a ratio similar to that used in industrial processes where reaction temperatures average 100 K higher. Regardless of the presence or absence of bismuth in the catalysts, the conversion of 1-butene was decreased by 6 h on-stream. Both the progress of the coking from the inlet to the outlet of the catalyst and the reduction of molybdenum in the catalysts directly contributed to the deactivation. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry revealed that a greater reduction of molybdenum in the near-surface region and a smaller partial pressure of oxygen (P(O2)) in the reactant gas, although the molybdenum on the surface was not reduced at all. This indicated that the lattice oxygen was pumped from the near-surface region to the surface during the reaction and the oxygen-poor conditions of the near-surface region both in the gas and catalyst phases were formed at a smaller P(O2), which resulted in the enhancements of both the reduction of molybdenum and that of coking. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis, the silica-supported bismuth-molybdenum complex oxide used at P(O2) = 4.1 kPa (color of the catalyst = black) was increased in weight while that used at P(O2) = 16.4 kPa (color of the catalyst = gray) showed a weight decrease, which indicated that the weight decrease caused by the reduction in molybdenum in the near-surface region used at 4.1 kPa was greater than the weight increase from the coking. It was concluded that the reduction in molybdenum followed by the coking on the catalyst surface were the main factors in the catalyst deactivation

Use of the index of pulmonary vascular disease for predicting long-term outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with congenital heart disease

AimsLimited data exist on risk factors for the long-term outcome of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) associated with congenital heart disease (CHD-PAH). We focused on the index of pulmonary vascular disease (IPVD), an assessment system for pulmonary artery pathology specimens. The IPVD classifies pulmonary vascular lesions into four categories based on severity: (1) no intimal thickening, (2) cellular thickening of the intima, (3) fibrous thickening of the intima, and (4) destruction of the tunica media, with the overall grade expressed as an additive mean of these scores. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between IPVD and the long-term outcome of CHD-PAH.MethodsThis retrospective study examined lung pathology images of 764 patients with CHD-PAH aged <20 years whose lung specimens were submitted to the Japanese Research Institute of Pulmonary Vasculature for pulmonary pathological review between 2001 and 2020. Clinical information was collected retrospectively by each attending physician. The primary endpoint was cardiovascular death.ResultsThe 5-year, 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year cardiovascular death-free survival rates for all patients were 92.0%, 90.4%, 87.3%, and 86.1%, respectively. The group with an IPVD of ≥2.0 had significantly poorer survival than the group with an IPVD <2.0 (P = .037). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for the presence of congenital anomaly syndromes associated with pulmonary hypertension, and age at lung biopsy showed similar results (hazard ratio 4.46; 95% confidence interval: 1.45–13.73; P = .009).ConclusionsThe IPVD scoring system is useful for predicting the long-term outcome of CHD-PAH. For patients with an IPVD of ≥2.0, treatment strategies, including choosing palliative procedures such as pulmonary artery banding to restrict pulmonary blood flow and postponement of intracardiac repair, should be more carefully considered

Catalyst Deactivation of a Silica-Supported Bismuth–Molybdenum Complex Oxide and the Related Complex Oxides for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of 1-Butene to 1,3-Butadiene

This study was an examination of the catalyst deactivation of a silica-supported bismuth-molybdenum complex oxide, and that of catalysts used in the absence of bismuth, for the oxidative dehydrogenation of 1-butene. Due to the detection of deactivation, the molar ratio of 1-butene against oxygen in the reactant gas was adjusted to a ratio similar to that used in industrial processes where reaction temperatures average 100 K higher. Regardless of the presence or absence of bismuth in the catalysts, the conversion of 1-butene was decreased by 6 h on-stream. Both the progress of the coking from the inlet to the outlet of the catalyst and the reduction of molybdenum in the catalysts directly contributed to the deactivation. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry revealed that a greater reduction of molybdenum in the near-surface region and a smaller partial pressure of oxygen (P(O2)) in the reactant gas, although the molybdenum on the surface was not reduced at all. This indicated that the lattice oxygen was pumped from the near-surface region to the surface during the reaction and the oxygen-poor conditions of the near-surface region both in the gas and catalyst phases were formed at a smaller P(O2), which resulted in the enhancements of both the reduction of molybdenum and that of coking. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis, the silica-supported bismuth-molybdenum complex oxide used at P(O2) = 4.1 kPa (color of the catalyst = black) was increased in weight while that used at P(O2) = 16.4 kPa (color of the catalyst = gray) showed a weight decrease, which indicated that the weight decrease caused by the reduction in molybdenum in the near-surface region used at 4.1 kPa was greater than the weight increase from the coking. It was concluded that the reduction in molybdenum followed by the coking on the catalyst surface were the main factors in the catalyst deactivation

Detection of a High-Density Brachiolaria-Stage Larval Population of Crown-of-Thorns Sea Star (Acanthaster planci) in Sekisei Lagoon (Okinawa, Japan)

Outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns sea star (Acanthaster planci) are likely to be strongly associated with drastic changes in larval survival influenced by food availability. However, no quantitative or qualitative data are available on the distribution of A. planci larvae in the field nor on the environmental factors that influence their survivorship. Here we use a DNA barcoding approach to describe the distribution of A. planci larvae in Sekisei Lagoon, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan after conducting three days of high-intensity sampling. High densities (53.3 individuals/m3) of A. planci larvae were found outside of Yonara Channel, which is the largest reef channel in this lagoon. Surprisingly, most (94%) of the aggregated larvae were advanced-stage brachiolaria. Considering that it takes several days to develop to this stage, this result demonstrates that A. planci larvae were floating for some time and maintaining a high-density population. However, this dense larval cloud disappeared immediately after a typhoon. No spatial correlation was found between larval density and either nutrient or chlorophyll a concentrations, suggesting that A. planci larvae do not necessarily aggregate in nutrient-rich water. These data suggest that some high-density populations of late developmental stage A. planci larvae were produced under a low phytoplankton concentration and could potentially trigger an adult outbreak. Consequently, our data suggest that adult outbreaks may not necessarily be triggered by food availability alone