62 research outputs found
Combined steam and CO2 reforming of methane for syngas production over carbon-resistant boron-promoted Ni/SBA-15 catalysts
The unpromoted and B-promoted 10%Ni/SBA-15 catalysts synthesized via sequential incipient wetness impregnation approach were assessed for combined steam and CO2 reforming of methane (CSCRM) at various reaction temperatures of 973–1073 K and stoichiometric feed composition. An expected and noteworthy drop in mean NiO crystallite size and BET surface area with boron promotion from 1% to 5%B loading could be due to the agglomeration of B2O3 particles and deboration reaction during calcination and hence blocking mesopores of SBA-15 support at elevated B composition. The complete NiO reduction to metallic Ni0 form was achieved during H2 activation and the reduction temperature of NiO phase was shifted towards higher temperature with B-addition owing to enhancing interaction between the acidic B2O3 and basic NiO phases. For all reaction temperature employed, 3%B appeared to be the optimal promoter loading in terms of reactant conversions and 3%B-10%Ni/SBA-15 catalyst revealed the greatest H2 yield (69.4%) at 1073 K. In addition, CH4 and CO2 conversions were enhanced about 23.2% and 32.4%, correspondingly with rising reaction temperature from 973 to 1073 K. Ratio of H2 to CO varied from 1.26 to 2.71 and the desired H2/CO ratio of about 2 favored for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was achieved on 3%B-10%Ni/SBA-15 sample at 973 K. Boron promoter suppressed graphitic carbon formation and the amount of carbonaceous deposition was reduced about 4 times. Noticeably, 3%B-10%Ni/SBA-15 was also resilient to metallic Ni0 re-oxidation throughout CSCRM
Boron-doped Ni/SBA-15 catalysts with enhanced coke resistance and catalytic performance for dry reforming of methane
Nickel-based heterogeneous catalysts have shown promising results in many industrial-scale catalytic reforming processes and hydrocarbon reforming reactions such as dry reforming of methane (DRM). However, it is also reported that Ni-based catalysts generally show less resistance to the carbonaceous deposition, which ultimately causes their rapid deactivation during the reaction. One possible solution to improve the coke resistance is the addition of a promoter to the catalyst, which has shown successful results to reduce the coke formation. Therefore, this study also aimed to prepare boron-promoted Ni-based catalysts and investigate their efficiency for DRM reactions. A series of different catalysts with 10% nickel and x% boron (x: 1%, 2%, 3%, and 5%) were prepared by using an ordered mesoporous silica as a support and tested in DRM. The results demonstrated that boron-promoted Ni/SBA-15 catalysts obtained significant catalytic activity for CH4 and CO2 conversions. Meanwhile, it was noticed that a lower concentration of boron (1 and 2%) was more favourable to achieve higher catalytic activity, whereas the higher concentration (3% and 5%) resulted in a comparatively lower conversion for CH4 and CO2. Evidently, the higher activity of 2% B-promoted catalyst was ascribed to the synergistic effect of high surface area and lower crystallite size that greatly improved the active sites accessibility. Moreover, the results confirmed 14% carbon deposition on unpromoted (NS) catalyst and it was reduced to 1.3% for 2% boron-promoted catalyst owing to the presence of B-OH species on catalyst surface
Impact of sea level rise on submergence, salinity and agricultural production in a coastal province of the Mekong River Delta, Vietnam [Abstract only].
In German Aerospace Center (DLR); Germany. Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Mekong Environmental Symposium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 5-7 March 2013. Abstract volume, Topic 09 - Mekong Delta: climate change related challenges. Wessling, Germany: German Aerospace Center (DLR); Bonn, Germany: Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Silk Fibroin-Based Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications: A Review
Since it was first discovered, thousands of years ago, silkworm silk has been known to be an abundant biopolymer with a vast range of attractive properties. The utilization of silk fibroin (SF), the main protein of silkworm silk, has not been limited to the textile industry but has been further extended to various high-tech application areas, including biomaterials for drug delivery systems and tissue engineering. The outstanding mechanical properties of SF, including its facile processability, superior biocompatibility, controllable biodegradation, and versatile functionalization have allowed its use for innovative applications. In this review, we describe the structure, composition, general properties, and structure-properties relationship of SF. In addition, the methods used for the fabrication and modification of various materials are briefly addressed. Lastly, recent applications of SF-based materials for small molecule drug delivery, biological drug delivery, gene therapy, wound healing, and bone regeneration are reviewed and our perspectives on future development of these favorable materials are also shared
Interplay between promoters and Ni-based mesoporous silica for methane dry reforming reaction
Commercially viable Ni-based heterogeneous catalysts have immense potential for the application in reforming reactions, but their rapid catalyst deactivation due to coking still remains a major challenge during these catalytic reforming applications. Herein, the endurance test of 72 h for methane dry reforming at low temperature and atmospheric conditions was conducted over a series of different promoted Ni-based catalysts. Intriguingly, bare SBA-15 supported Ni catalyst blocked the reactor after 51 time-on-stream due to excess carbon formation during the reaction. In addition, the catalyst promoted with yttrium showed the outstanding catalytic performance with CH4 and CO2 conversion of about 83.0% and 90.9%, respectively. On the other hand, boron promoted catalysts greatly improved the Ni and SBA-15 support interaction by facilitating the formation of NiSO3 and detected lowest coke formation and catalytic activity among counterparts. Moreover, different carbon species (herringbone fibers, amorphous and carbon shell) were identified in the spent catalysts
Optimizing the Partial Gear Ratios of the Two-stage Worm Gearbox for Minimizing Total Gearbox Cost
Optimizing the design of a worm gearbox is complex to get due to considering multiple objectives and numerous main design parameters. Hence, a more consistent and robust optimization technique will be considered in obtaining the optimized results. This paper presents the optimization process of the Two-Stage Worm Gearbox with the objective function of minimizing total gearbox cost. Ten main design parameters are chosen as input parameters for evaluating their impacts on the response of the partial gear ratio u2. In this study, the simulation experiments were used, which do not need cost to perform all potential tests. In order to do this, a 2^(10-3) model and using 1/16 fractional model were selected due to the limitation of the built-in function in Minitab@18. Moreover, the screening experiments are purposely used to determine the number of parameters, which has a minor influence on the response. Compared to using the Taguchi technique, the model of 2^11 corresponding to L32 or 32 tests is a simple method to achieve the objectives.
The results show that Total gearbox ratio exhibits the biggest effect on the response compared to others. Furthermore, the interactions between these factors to the remaining are significant. The high reliability of the proposed model is verified by simulation experiments. The random tendency of data shows that u2 is not crucially influenced by other than the input parameters. The data in versus order prove that the response is not varied to the time factor. Moreover, the coefficients of adjusted R2 and R2 are both greater than 99 %, it can be concluded that the proposed regression model is appropriate. The proposed optimization process in this study is reliable and the optimal design method can provide a useful reference on performance improvement of other worm gears
A meta-analysis of prognostic roles of molecular markers in papillary thyroid carcinoma
The prognostic role of molecular markers in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a matter of ongoing debate. The aim of our study is to investigate the impact of RAS, BRAF, TERT promoter mutations and RET/PTC rearrangements on the prognosis of PTC patients. We
performed a search in four electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Virtual Health Library (VHL). Data of hazard ratio (HR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) for disease-specific survival (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were directly obtained from original papers or indirectly estimated from Kaplan–Meier curve (KMC). Pooled HRs were calculated using random-effect model weighted by inverse variance method. Publication bias was assessed by using Egger’s regression test and visual
inspection of funnel plots. From 2630 studies, we finally included 35 studies with 17,732 patients for meta-analyses. TERT promoter mutation was significantly associated with unfavorable DSS (HR = 7.64; 95% CI = 4.00–14.61) and DFS (HR = 2.98; 95% CI = 2.27–3.92). BRAF mutations significantly increased the risk for recurrence (HR = 1.63; 95% CI = 1.27–2.10) but not for cancer mortality (HR = 1.41; 95% CI = 0.90–2.23). In subgroup analyses, BRAF mutation only showed its prognostic value in short-/medium-term
follow-up. Data regarding RAS mutations and RET/PTC fusions were insufficient for meta-analyses. TERT promoter mutation can be used as an independent and reliable marker for risk stratification and predicting patient’s outcomes. The use of BRAF mutation to assess patient prognosis should be carefully considered
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